Gadhafi Family: Mutassim Reported Killed, Other Son Missing

Oct. 20, 2011 — -- Libya's National Transitional Council announced today that rebel forces have killed longtime Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi. One of his sons, Mutassim, the country's former national security advisor was also killed in the fighting, according to NTC officials. For 42 years the Gadhafi family ruled over the north African nation before the popular uprising which began in February.

But even if the Gadhafi family patriarch and a son is gone, what of the rest of his powerful offspring?

quicklist: 1category: The Gadhafi Kidstitle: Mutassim Gadhafitext: Mutassim Gadhafi, one of the Gadhafi sons who U.S. State Department officials said appeared to be positioning himself as a possible successor to Moammar Gadhafi before the revolution, was killed today in fighting around Sirte, according to NTC officials. He was initially reported captured by rebel forces.

Mutassim served as the country's national security advisor but came to the attention of Western audiences most recently when State Department cables posted on WikiLeaks revealed he had thrown lavish parties in 2009 and 2010 on a Caribbean island featuring performances by stars like Mariah Carey and Beyonce.

"His carousing and extravagance angered some [Libyan] locals, who viewed his activities as impious and embarrassing to the nation," the cable said.

Still, U.S. officials said Mutassim cultivated a serious rivalry with his brother Saif al-Islam over the future of rule in Libya. The cable notes he attempted to use money from a private Libyan company to fund his own paramilitary group before Moammar rebuffed the effort. In 2009 he made a high profile visit to the U.S. where he met with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

media: 14363562

quicklist: 2category: The Gadhafi Kidstitle: Saif al-Islam Gadhafitext: Gadhafi's second-oldest son, who turned 39 in June, was a very public figure in Libya prior to the revolution and is currently the only high-profile Gadhafi child that, despite conflicting reports about his capture, is unaccounted for.

A 2009 U.S. State Department cable released by WikiLeaks describes Saif al-Islam as the "heir apparent" to Moammar who enjoyed a popular advantage over Mutassim. But that was before the popular uprising swept the country and Saif al-Islam, once a great hope for reform in Libya, joined ranks with his father in violent repression.

Saif al-Islam has been charged by the International Criminal Court with crimes against humanity, including murder, for his alleged role in the violent crackdown against civilians during the uprising.

The National Transitional Council said in August it had captured Saif al-Islam but later the same day, Saif al-Islam reemerged with loyalist troops and said the tide of battle had turned in his father's favor. His current whereabouts are unknown.

media: 14363397

quicklist: 3category: The Gadhafi Kidstitle: Khamis Gadhafitext: Khamis Gadhafi was the one Gadhafi son that, to U.S. officials, appeared to be key to the future of the regime even if he would not be the one to lead it. Head of the elite military unit the Khamis Brigade, Khamis was a well-respected soldier and his unit was charged with protecting the regime at all costs, according to a State Department cable posted on the website WikiLeaks.

When popular protests broke out in Libya in February, Khamis was in the midst of a whirlwind tour of the United States organized by an American company with the blessing of the U.S. State Department.