The eldest surviving son of late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, has been killed, according to his lawyer Khaled el-Zaydi, media reports and sources close to the family said Tuesday.

Details surrounding the circumstances of his death were not immediately clear.

While Saif al-Islam is well-known in the North African country, especially for his role in shaping policy before 2011, his ⁠public profile has receded in recent years.

In 2015, a Libyan court passed a death sentence in absentia on Saif al-Islam for suppressing peaceful protests ‌during the country's 2011 revolution that ended his father's rule.

He has ​also been provisionally charged by ‍the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes ‍against ​humanity, ‍a case his lawyers failed ⁠to dismiss.

In ‍2021, Saif al-Islam registered as a presidential candidate for a December vote that eventually collapsed ⁠amid ‌a political deadlock.