Khalid Islambouli

Khalid Ahmed Showky Al-Islambouli (Arabic: خالد أحمد شوقى الإسلامبولى‎, Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [ˈxæːled ˈæħmæd ˈʃæwʔi (e)lʔeslæmˈbuːli]) (January 15, 1955 – April 15, 1982) was an Egyptian army officer who planned and participated in the assassination of Egypt's third president, Anwar Sadat, during the annual 6th October victory parade on 6 October 1981. Islambouli stated that his primary motivation for the assassination was Sadat's signing of the Camp David Accords with the State of Israel. He was tried by a military tribunal, found guilty, and sentenced to death. Following his execution, Islambouli was declared a martyr by many radicals in the Islamic world, and became an inspirational symbol for radical Islamic movements as one of the first 'modern Shahids'.

Background

Islambouli's father was an Egyptian legal advisor and his mother was of Turkish descent. After graduating from the Egyptian Military Academy with excellent grades, he was accepted as an officer in the Bombardment Forces of the Egyptian Army with the rank of Lieutenant. Sometime after this appointment, Islambouli joined the proscribed Egyptian Islamic Jihad movement.

Assassination of Sadat

Main article: Assassination of Anwar Sadat

Islambouli was not supposed to participate in the October parade, but was chosen by chance to replace an officer from the 333rd Artillery Brigade who was excused for being unable to participate.

Once his section of the parade began to approach the President's platform, Islambouli, Abdelhameed Abdul Salaam, Ata Tayel Hameeda Raheel, and Hussein Abbas leapt from their truck and ran towards the stand while lobbing grenades toward where the President was standing with other Egyptian, and foreign dignitaries. Islambouli entered the stands and emptied his assault rifle into Sadat's body.

Execution and Iranian Martyrdom

Islambouli was captured immediately after the assassination. He and twenty-three conspirators were tried. Found guilty, 27 year old Islambouli and three other conspirators were publicly executed by firing squad on 15 April 1982.

The Iranian Government, in response to Sadat's peace treaty with Israel, and his provision of asylum to the deposed Shah of Iran, severed relations with Egypt and named a street in Tehran after Islambouli in 1981 in honor of his actions. Following Islambouli's execution, Iran's Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini declared him a martyr. In light of extensive public protest, in May 2001 the Tehran City Council renamed the street "intifada street" in an effort to improve these relations.

Relatives

Islambouli's younger brother Showqi Al-Islambouli came close to assassinating the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on June 22, 1995 on the way from Addis Ababa International Airport to an African summit in the city. Showqi and his associates opened fire on the armor-plated limousine destroying most of the escort vehicles. However, Mubarak was saved by the skills of his chauffeur, who U-turned the damaged limousine and raced back to the airport where the presidential plane was waiting with running engines.

Legacy

Khalid Islambouli continues to serve as an inspirational symbol for Islamist movements throughout the world, including terrorist groups. On July 31, 2004 "The al-Islambouli Brigades of al-Qaeda" claimed responsibility for an assassination attempt on Shaukat Aziz, then a candidate for the post of Prime Minister of Pakistan. On August 24, 2004 a Chechen group calling itself "The al-Islambouli Brigades" issued a statement claiming responsibility for the bombing of two Russian passenger aircraft.

See also

• Sheikh Abu-Ali Urbuti

References

For more details on this topic, see Anwar Sadat.

For more details on this topic, see Iran-Arab relations.