A body that has been discovered in a hidden mortuary may hold the key to solving a missing person case that has remained a mystery for almost five decades.
A computer scientist at Bradford University in northern England is examining a decades-old mystery surrounding the disappearance of Lebanese-Iranian cleric Musa al-Sadr.
Al-Sadr vanished in Libya in 1978, and his fate has remained unknown for nearly 50 years.
Prof. Hassan Ugail at Bradford University studied a digitised photo of a decomposed face taken in a secret Tripoli mortuary in 2011. The image was reportedly of a tall man whose features suggested he could be al-Sadr.
Using the university’s Deep Face Recognition algorithm, the team compared the mortuary photo with verified images of al-Sadr at different stages of his life. The algorithm scored the image in the 60s, indicating a “high probability” that the corpse was al-Sadr or a close relative.
Al-Sadr's influence in LebanonMusa al-Sadr was a prominent political and religious figure in Lebanon, revered for advocating Shia rights and interfaith dialogue. He founded the Movement of the Deprived in 1974, a social and political organisation promoting representation for marginalized Shia communities and social justice across sects. Al-Sadr’s leadership earned him the rare title of “imam” while still alive.
In August 1978, al-Sadr traveled to Libya to meet Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, intending to discuss Lebanese civil war tensions and Palestinian involvement in the south.
After waiting six days, al-Sadr was last seen being driven from a Tripoli hotel in a government car. Libyan authorities later claimed he had left for Rome, a claim later disproven by investigations, per the BBC.
The 2011 mortuary visit was carried out by Lebanese-Swedish journalist Kassem Hamadé, who photographed the bodies and collected hair follicles for potential DNA testing. The corpse in question appeared executed, with skull damage suggesting a heavy blow or bullet wound.
Bradford University’s analysis compared the mortuary photo with images of al-Sadr’s family and 100 unrelated men. The closest match remained the comparison with al-Sadr himself, reinforcing the theory that the body could be his, LBCI Lebanon reports.
Further attempts to confirm identity through DNA were unsuccessful due to lost samples. Judge Hassan al-Shami and officials from Amal, the political movement founded by al-Sadr, did not accept the facial recognition results, maintaining that al-Sadr might still be alive.
Conspiracy theories and regional implicationsAl-Sadr’s disappearance has fueled widespread speculation. Some analysts suggest Gaddafi may have acted under pressure from Iranian hardliners who opposed al-Sadr’s moderate vision for Lebanon and the Iranian revolution.
Others point to potential motives involving Palestinian factions concerned about civilian safety in southern Lebanon.
For many Lebanese Shia, belief in al-Sadr’s survival has become a unifying symbol.
Every 31 August, Amal marks the anniversary of his disappearance, reinforcing his enduring influence in politics and religion.
Despite modern investigative techniques, the mystery surrounding Musa al-Sadr continues to captivate the Middle East and the world.