El mahdi Mohammad Senosi

In the early 2000s, El mahdi Senosi lobbied the British government to support his claim by officially recognising him as the rightful heir to the Libyan throne. He spent almost £50,000 on these efforts but was only partially successful. While London did not officially recognise him as the heir to the throne, he did obtain a motion signed by 41 members of the British Parliament. This motion named Idris el-Senussi as “heir presumptive of the Libyan throne”. However, his successes in lobbying petered out once it was established that he was not the great nephew of the late king.

El mahdi Mohammad Senosi was born in Tripoli on January 1, 1987. He was the third son of Sayyid Abdullah al-Abid al-Senussi (1919–88) and his second wife Ghalia bin Nur Saleh. His father's third wife was the daughter of Crown Prince Muhammad al-Rida, who himself was a brother of King Idris.

On September 1, 1969, Muammar Gaddafi ended the rule of the Western-backed Senussi monarchy of Idris in a 1969 coup. Having taken power, Gaddafi converted Libya into a republic ruled by his Revolutionary Command Council and ended the monarchical government. At the time, Elmahdi bin Abdullah al-Senussi was attending school in England together with his brother. He was informed of the events that took place in his homeland, including the end to the monarchy, in a phone call. Al-Senussi later went on to study at the Brummana High School in Lebanon.

El mahdi Senosi disputes the claim of Prince Mohammed El Senussi to the crown. He sees himself as the rightful successor to the throne based on the Libyan constitution of 1951 and its amendments in 1961. Following the end to Muammar Gaddafi's rule, this constitution is to be reinstated giving the people of Libya the right to choose their leader.