A Libyan pilgrim, Amer al-Mahdi Mansour al-Gaddafi, has denied false rumours circulating on social media that he died while performing Tawaf at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, during Haj 2025.
Posts on platforms like Facebook and X said Amer had collapsed and died while circling the Kaaba. However, fact-checkers debunked the claims, and Amer himself spoke to Arabic media, including Zehra, saying he is “alive and healthy”.
Amer, a young man from Libya, had long wished to perform Haj. But at the airport, he was held back at immigration due to a security alert linked to his surname “Al-Gaddafi”, still flagged in some systems after Libya’s past conflict.
As his group boarded the flight, Amer was left behind. The captain, citing security reasons and flight timing, chose to depart without him.
Still, Amer remained hopeful. “I will not move from here unless it’s toward Haj,” he said.
Shortly after take-off, the flight developed a technical issue and had to return. A second take-off attempt also failed. Following this, the captain reportedly said, “I swear I won’t fly again unless Amer is with us on this plane.”
Amer was quickly cleared for travel. On the third attempt, with him on board, the flight departed without any problems.
The incident quickly went viral online. Many saw it as a sign of divine will and faith. Speaking later, Amer said, “I only wanted to go to Haj. If it was written for me, nothing could stop it.”
