MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. Moscow strongly condemns the assassination of the eldest son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Seif al-Islam, and expects a thorough investigation, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"We strongly condemn this crime. We hope that a thorough investigation will be conducted, and those responsible will be brought to justice," the diplomat said.

"We express our condolences to the family and friends of the deceased."

On Tuesday, Libya al-Ahrar TV channel said Gaddafi's son was assassinated in the city of Ez-Zintan. On Wednesday, the Prosecutor General's Office confirmed the death of Seif al-Islam from a gunshot wound.

Seif al-Islam put forward his candidacy for the post of head of state in 2021, but those elections never took place in Libya. The reaction to his nomination was mixed: there were protests against his candidacy in some regions, but there were also those who pinned their hopes on him as a politician capable of bringing the country together again.