Libya frees late leader Gaddafi's son

Tripoli, Sep 6 : Libyan authorities have released Saadi Gaddafi, son of the country's late leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was ousted and killed in 2011.

A source in the Attorney General's office told Xinhua news agency that Saadi, who was on trial for his alleged involvement in the murder of a football player and coach of the Libyan national team in 2005, was released.

He was acquitted in the case in April 2018.

According to local media, Saadi, 27, flew to Turkey shortly after his release, with plans to leave for Egypt to join some of his family members.

During the 2011 uprising in Libya, Saadi fled for Niger but was extradited three years later and has been imprisoned in Tripoli ever since.

Niger first granted him asylum for "humanitarian reasons", but handed Saadi over to Libya in 2014, according to the Libyan authorities.

Ever since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime, Libya has been suffering insecurity and chaos.

Despite the appointment of a new executive authority of a unity government and a presidency council in February after years of political division, Libya's security situation remains weak, as security breaches and kidnappings still occur in different parts of the country.