Summary:

On 27 December 2025, Idris Boufaid, a member of Libya’s High Council of State, suggested that the plane crash killing Libyan Major General Mohamed Al-Haddad and several military aides, while returning from an official visit to Turkiye, may not have been accidental. Speculation in international media pointed to Turkiye as possibly being responsible for the crash.  

Boufaid linked the incident to regional and international intelligence rivalries surrounding Libya and criticized the use of a privately chartered aircraft from Malta as a serious security lapse. 

Amid speculation of malfeasance, Turkish authorities denied claims related to the incident. On 29 December 2025, a center affiliated with the Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications stated that Turkish Airlines flight TK 641 was diverted from Benghazi on 24 December solely due to adverse weather conditions, rejecting allegations of security-related motives and warning against disinformation harming Turkish-Libyan relations. 

Outlook: 

The episode illustrates how sensitive security incidents in Libya are rapidly absorbed into broader narratives of intelligence warfare and regional rivalry amidst deeply engrained suspicion and mistrust both internally and externally.  

While Boufaid’s allegations remain unsubstantiated, their public articulation reflects deep mistrust within Libyan political and security circles and reinforces perceptions of Libya as a contested intelligence environment. Ankara’s swift denial highlights Turkey’s concern over reputational risk and its effort to shield its strategic relationship with Libya.  

Within Libya, these narratives risk aggravating internal instability by complicating coordination between institutions, increasing scrutiny over elite security arrangements, and feeding into existing public anger toward the Government of National Unity. In this context, the plane crash has become an additional factor amplifying frustration with Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah’s government amid ongoing demonstrations and governance-related grievances. 

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