Libya’s Chief of General Staff, Lt.-Gen. Mohammed al-Haddad, has died alongside seven other persons following the crash of a business jet in Turkey, officials in Ankara and Tripoli have confirmed.

The aircraft, a Falcon 50 jet, crashed late on Tuesday shortly after taking off from Ankara’s Esenboga Airport, killing all eight persons on board, including four senior Libyan military officials and three crew members.

Turkish Interior Minister, Mr Ali Yerlikaya, said the wreckage of the aircraft was located in the Haymana district, about 74 kilometres south of Ankara, after contact with the jet was lost mid-flight.

Yerlikaya disclosed via his verified social media handle that the aircraft departed Ankara at about 5:10 p.m. GMT, but communication was lost approximately 42 minutes later.

According to him, the jet had earlier issued an emergency landing alert near Haymana, but attempts to re-establish contact were unsuccessful.

“A Falcon 50 aircraft departing from Ankara’s Esenboga Airport lost contact with air traffic control. Security teams later located the wreckage in the Haymana area,” the minister said.

A senior Turkish official explained that the aircraft developed an electrical fault about 16 minutes after takeoff, prompting the pilot to request an emergency landing.

Also confirming the incident, the Head of Turkey’s Presidency Communications Directorate, Mr Burhanettin Duran, said the aircraft reported an electrical failure to air traffic control and sought emergency clearance before crashing.

“The jet, carrying eight persons, including high-ranking Libyan officials, reported an emergency due to an electrical malfunction and requested an emergency landing,” Duran stated.

Libya’s Prime Minister, Mr Abdulhamid Dbeibah, expressed deep sorrow over the incident, describing the death of Haddad as a huge loss to the nation.

“It is with deep sadness and great sorrow that we learned of the death of the Libyan army’s Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant General Mohammed al-Haddad,” Dbeibah wrote on his official Facebook page.

Haddad had earlier on Tuesday held meetings in Ankara with Turkey’s Defence Minister, Mr Yasar Guler, and other senior Turkish officials, including his counterpart, Mr Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, before embarking on the return flight to Tripoli.

Eyewitnesses in Haymana described hearing a loud explosion at the time of the crash.
Mr Burhan Cicek, a resident of the area, told reporters that the sound was terrifying.

“I heard a very loud explosion. It was like a bomb,” he said.
The Turkish Justice Minister, Mr Yilmaz Tunc, confirmed that the Ankara Chief Prosecutor’s Office had launched a full investigation into the crash to determine its exact cause.

Libya’s Minister of State for Communication and Political Affairs, Mr Walid Ellafi, also confirmed that Turkish authorities promptly notified the Libyan government after the aircraft went missing.

“We received a call from the Turkish authorities immediately after contact with the aircraft was lost due to a technical problem,” Ellafi said in an interview with Libya Al-Ahrar television.

He added that the Libyan government was awaiting the outcome of the Turkish investigation but that preliminary information indicated the aircraft had crashed.

Ellafi identified the other victims as Haddad’s adviser, Mohammed Al-Assawi; Major-General Al-Fitouri Ghraibil; Major-General Mohammed Jumaa; and their escort,

Mohammed Al-Mahjoub.
Haddad had served as Libya’s Chief of General Staff since August 2020, following his appointment by then Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj.

Libya has remained politically divided since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that led to the overthrow and death of longtime leader, Muammar Gaddafi.

The country is currently split between the United
Nations-recognised Government of National Unity in Tripoli, led by Dbeibah, and the eastern administration aligned with Commander Khalifa Haftar.

Turkey maintains close political, economic and military ties with the Tripoli-based government and has hosted several high-level Libyan officials in recent years, although it has also recently engaged the rival eastern administration.