Muhammad Muammar Gaddafi (born 15 March 1970; ar, محمد معمر القذافي) is the eldest son of the former Libyan leader

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 ...

. While he was regarded as a possible successor as ruler of Libya from his father, he was reported to be uninterested in the role. He was also the chairman of the General Posts and Telecommunications Company which owned and operated cell phone and satellite services in Libya. The company is the exclusive internet provider to Libya, and immediately after the beginning of protests against the Gaddafi government in February 2011 which led to the

Libyan Civil War Demographics of Libya is the demography of Libya, specifically covering population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, and religious affiliations, as well as other aspects of the Libyan population. The ...

, it cut internet links between Libya and the rest of the world.

Libyan civil war

On 21 August 2011, Muhammad surrendered to rebel forces of the

National Transitional Council The National Transitional Council of Libya ( ar, المجلس الوطني الإنتقالي '), sometimes known as the Transitional National Council, was the ''de facto'' government of Libya for a period during and after the Libyan Civil War ...

as they took over

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 ...

. While being in custody in his home, he gave a phone interview to

Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...

, saying that he surrendered to the rebels and had been treated well before the line went dead from apparent gunfire. The

head later spoke to

assuring Muhammad's safety. Muhammad spoke to

again confirming his safety and that of his family. On 22 August 2011, he escaped reportedly with the help of Gaddafi loyalists.

In exile

On 29 August 2011, he entered

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

along with several other members of the Gaddafi family. In October 2012, they left a hideaway in Algeria to go to

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...

, where they were granted

political asylum The right of asylum (sometimes called right of political asylum; ) is an ancient juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereign authority, like a second country or another enti ...

References

People of the First Libyan Civil War 1970 births

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...

Libyan Arab Socialist Union politicians Living people Children of national leaders Libyan escapees Escapees from Libyan detention Libyan emigrants to Oman {{Libya-politician-stub