Sayyid Mohammed Gaddaf al-Dam (25 February 1948 – 16 March 2023) was a Libyan brigadier general and the cousin of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and Ahmed Gaddaf al-Dam.[1][2] He was part of Gaddafi's inner circle.[3]
Gaddaf al-Dam was born in Sirte on 25 February 1948.[4] He was one of the Free Officers who participated in the 1969 Libyan coup d'état that brought his cousin Muammar Gaddafi to power.[5] In 1984, he was described as a "shadowy but key figure" and the second most powerful man in Libya according to US intelligence.[6] He was accused of being involved in extrajudicial assassinations of Gaddafi's opponents in Europe as well as arms procurement.[4][6]
In March 1984, Gaddaf al-Dam was injured by a car bomb and may have become disabled. Foreign Minister Ali Treki dismissed the car bomb allegation and claimed that Gaddaf al-Dam had merely been injured in a car accident.[6]
Gaddaf al-Dam was placed under sanctions due to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1970 on 26 February 2011.[7] He was captured in the Battle of Sirte in October 2011.[5][8]
He was acquitted by a court in Misrata of "exploiting state armed forces for political aims" in September 2015 and all other charges against him were dropped.[8]
Allegedly ill with cancer, Gaddaf al-Dam was stretched onto a private plane and flown to La Braq Airport en route to Egypt shortly after his release.[1]
In 2017, he played a role in securing the release of a number of Gaddafi-era figures and announced his support for Saif al-Islam Gaddafi to represent Gaddafi loyalists in national reconciliation efforts.[5]
He died in Cairo, Egypt on 16 March 2023.[5]
