Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, second son of the late deposed Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi, have been freed under an amnesty recently, reports BBC.

His father's preferred successor, Saif had been held by a militia in the town of Zintan of Libya for the past six years.

A Libyan army official said that Saif had been released on Friday (June 9) but he has not been shown in public.

Local reports suggest he is now in the eastern city of Bayda with relatives.

The militia group said it was acting on a request from the "interim government" of Libya.

That government - based in the east of the country - had already offered amnesty to Saif al-Islam.

However, he has been sentenced to death in absentia by a court in Tripoli, the west of the country, where control is in the hands of the rival, UN-backed Government of National Accord.

Previous reports of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi's release proved to be false.

He is also wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity during his father's unsuccessful attempts to put down the rebellion.

The 44-year-old - who was controversially granted a PhD by the London School of Economics in 2008 - was captured in November 2011 after three months on the run following the end of Gaddafi's decades-long rule.

He was previously known for playing a key role in building relations with the West after 2000, and had been considered the reformist face of his father's regime.

But after the 2011 uprising, he found himself accused of incitement to violence and murdering protesters. Four years later, he was sentenced to death by firing squad following a trial involving 30 of Gaddafi's close associates.

BDST: 1042 HRS, JUN 11, 2017
SI