Hannibal Gaddafi, the son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been released from detention in Lebanon, bringing an end to his ten-year imprisonment. The release occurred on Monday, 10 November 2025, after a substantial bail payment was made.
A Decade-Long Detention Ends
One of Hannibal Gaddafi's lawyers confirmed his client was set free on Monday evening. This development came just days after Lebanese judicial authorities took two critical steps: they lifted a travel ban that had been imposed on him and significantly reduced his bail amount. The bail was slashed from an initial $11 million (£8.3 million) down to $900,000 (£683,460), paving the way for his release.
Two anonymous security officials also verified that he had been freed. The decisive action by the judiciary on Thursday followed a visit from a five-person Libyan delegation, which made significant progress in negotiations for Hannibal's release.
The Case of the Missing Cleric
Hannibal Gaddafi was first detained in Lebanon back in 2015. He was accused of withholding information concerning the disappearance of Moussa al Sadr, a prominent Lebanese Shiite cleric. The cleric vanished during a trip to Libya in 1978—a time when Hannibal was less than three years old, making his direct involvement highly improbable.
In a previous ruling in mid-October, a Lebanese judge had ordered Hannibal's release on the condition of an $11 million bail, but simultaneously banned him from leaving the country. His legal team argued that he lacked the funds to meet this demand and subsequently petitioned for the travel ban to be lifted.
The Path to Freedom
Last week, Sky News' US partner, NBC News, reported that during a meeting with the Libyan delegation, Lebanese judicial officials agreed to work towards a sharp reduction of the bail and the removal of the travel restriction. The Libyan delegation also presented a detailed report on their investigation into the fate of Moussa al Sadr.
This led to the formal decision on Thursday to reduce the bail to the equivalent of 80 billion Lebanese pounds (approximately £678,100) and to lift the travel ban entirely. The bail was ultimately paid by the Libyan delegation, a fact confirmed by two judicial and one security official, and later acknowledged in a social media post by the Tripoli-based government's justice ministry.
Muammar Gaddafi was killed during the 2011 uprising that ended his four-decade rule. Hannibal, who held a role in Libya's maritime industry, fled to Algeria with his mother and other relatives after his father's fall. He later sought and was granted political asylum in Syria, where he remained until he was abducted by Lebanese militants and subsequently taken into custody by Lebanese police.
