Mustafa al-Kharoubi (1939 – 16 July 2015), also transliterated as Kharubi, was a Libyan general and politician under

Muammar Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, . Due to the lack of standardization of transcribing written and regionally pronounced Arabic, Gaddafi's name has been romanized in various ways. A 1986 column by ''The Straight Dope'' lists 32 spellin ...

. He was part of Gaddafi's inner circle.

Biography

Kharoubi was born in Matred, near

Surman Surman is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Andrew Surman (born 1986), South African-born English footballer * Finn Surman (born 2003), New Zealand professional footballer * Frank Surman, (1865/1866–1925), New Zealand rugby un ...

. He was classmates with Gaddafi and Abdessalam Jalloud while they attended school in Sabha in 1961. They later attended the

Benghazi Military University Academy Benghazi Military University Academy is a military academy in Benghazi in Libya. Alumni Notable graduates of the academy include Muammar Gaddafi and Khalifa Haftar Field Marshal Khalifa Belqasim Haftar ( ar, خليفة بلقاسم حفتر, ...

together. He played a key role in the

1969 Libyan coup d'état The 1969 Libyan coup d'état, also known as the al-Fateh Revolution or the 1 September Revolution, was carried out by the Free Unionist Officers Movement, a group of military officers led by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, which led to the overthrow of K ...

that brought Gaddafi to power. During the coup, he was tasked with seizing control of the radio building in

Benghazi Benghazi () , ; it, Bengasi; tr, Bingazi; ber, Bernîk, script=Latn; also: ''Bengasi'', ''Benghasi'', ''Banghāzī'', ''Binghāzī'', ''Bengazi''; grc, Βερενίκη (''Berenice'') and ''Hesperides''., group=note (''lit. Son of he Ghazi ...

. After the successful coup, he was among the twelve men named to the Libyan Revolutionary Command Council (RCC). He served as deputy chief of staff under chief of staff Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr. He later served as head of military intelligence and Gaddafi's envoy with Arab countries until 1990s. He was instrumental in thwarting the 1975 coup attempt led by fellow RCC member

Umar Muhayshi Umar Abdullah el-Muhayshi (; 1941-January, 1984) was a Libyan army officer and a member of the Libyan Revolutionary Command Council that ruled Libya after the 1969 Libyan coup d'état. Life Born to a family of Circassian and Turkish origin, U ...

. In the aftermath of Muhayshi's failed coup, only five of the original twelve RCC members remained: Gaddafi, Jalloud, Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr,

Khweldi Hameidi Al-Khweldi Muhammad Salih Abdullah El-Hamedi (Arabic الخويلدي محمد الحميدي; January 1943 – 27 July 2015), also transliterated as Khuwailidi al-Humaidi, was a Libyan Major General under Muammar Gaddafi, founding member of the ...

, and Kharoubi. All five were from poor or lower-middle-class background. Starting in the 1990s, Kharoubi was increasingly sidelined in the

Gaddafi regime Muammar Gaddafi became the ''de facto'' leader of Libya on 1 September 1969 after leading a group of young Libyan Army officers against King Idris I in a bloodless coup d'état. After the king had fled the country, the Revolutionary Comman ...

. When the First Libyan Civil War broke out in 2011, he was rumored to have resigned or placed under

house arrest In justice and law, house arrest (also called home confinement, home detention, or, in modern times, electronic monitoring) is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to their residence. Travel is usually restricted, if all ...

by Gaddafi. His last assignment was greeting South African President

Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan name Msholozi, and was a former anti-aparth ...

in April 2011 during the civil war. Kharoubi was arrested after the civil war and allegedly tortured by former

Libyan Islamic Fighting Group The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), also known as ''Al-Jama'a al-Islamiyyah al-Muqatilah bi-Libya'' ( ar, الجماعة الإسلامية المقاتلة بليبيا), was an armed Islamist group. Militants participated in the 2011 Liby ...

member Khaled al-Sharif at the al-Hadba prison. He was photographed in Hadba courtroom in September 2013 alongside

Abdullah Senussi Abdullah Senussi ( ) is a Libyan national who was the intelligence chief and brother-in-law of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. He was married to Gaddafi's sister-in-law. Scottish police officers plan to interview him in connection with the Lockerbie ...

and

Baghdadi Mahmudi Baghdadi Ali Mahmudi ( ar, البغدادي علي المحمودي) (born 1945) is a Libyan politician who was Secretary of the General People's Committee (prime minister) of Libya from 5 March 2006 to as late as 1 September 2011, when he acknowl ...

. No charges were filed against him. He died on 16 July 2015. There were two accounts of his death. The attorney general's office claimed he had died of cancer at home in

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...

with his family days after being released on compassionate grounds. The other account claimed he had died in prison after being denied medical treatment. On 27 July 2015, Mehdi Bouaouaja, the Tunisian lawyer for

, alleged that Kharoubi died after being poisoned.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kharoubi, Mustafa 1939 births 2015 deaths Libyan generals People of the First Libyan Civil War