Assassination of Anwar Sadat: Difference between revisions
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The ''' |
The '''assassination of Anwar Sadat''' occurred on 6 October 1981. [[Anwar Sadat]], the [[President of Egypt]], was assassinated during the annual victory parade held in [[Cairo]] to celebrate [[Operation Badr (1973)]], during which the [[Egyptian Army]] had crossed the [[Suez Canal]] and taken back [[Sinai Peninsula]] from [[Israel]] at the beginning of the [[Yom Kippur War]].<ref name="year81upi">{{cite web|title=1981 Year in Review: Anwar Sadat Killed|url=http://www.upi.com/Audio/Year_in_Review/Events-of-1981/Anwar-Sadat-Killed/12311754163167-5/|publisher=UPI|accessdate=13 February 2011|archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20110119104455/http://www.upi.com/Audio/Year_in_Review/Events-of-1981/Anwar-Sadat-Killed/12311754163167-5/| archivedate=19 January 2011<!--DASHBot-->|deadurl= no}}</ref> A [[fatwā]] approving the assassination had been obtained from [[Omar Abdel-Rahman]], a cleric later convicted in the US for his role in the [[1993 World Trade Center bombing]]. The assassination was undertaken by members of the [[Egyptian Islamic Jihad]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.egypt.com/en/sadat-as-a-president-of-egypt.html|title=Sadat as a president of Egypt|publisher=News Egypt|date=8 October 2009|accessdate=23 December 2012}}</ref> |
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==Background== |
==Background== |
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Following the [[Camp David Accords]], Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister [[Menachem Begin]] shared the 1978 [[Nobel Peace Prize]]. But the subsequent [[Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty|1979 Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty]] was received with controversy among Arab nations, particularly the Palestinians. Egypt's membership in the [[Arab League]] was suspended (and not reinstated until 1989).<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/country_profiles/1550977.stm BBC Timeline: Arab League]</ref> [[Palestine Liberation Organization|PLO]] Leader [[Yasser Arafat]] said "Let them sign what they like. False peace will not last."<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/26/newsid_2806000/2806245.stm 1979: Israel and Egypt shake hands on peace deal] BBC News</ref> In Egypt, various jihadist groups, such as the Egyptian Islamic Jihad and the al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, used the Camp David Accords to rally support for their cause.<ref>https://modernegypt.info/timeline/?random=483.76251850277185</ref> Previously sympathetic to Sadat's attempt to integrate them into Egyptian society,<ref name=ipppn /> Egypt's Islamists now felt betrayed and publicly called for the overthrow of the Egyptian president and the replacement of the nation's system of government with a government based on Islamic theocracy.<ref name=ipppn>http://books.google.com/books?id=shNdxlispXAC&pg=PA87 |
Following the [[Camp David Accords]], Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister [[Menachem Begin]] shared the 1978 [[Nobel Peace Prize]]. But the subsequent [[Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty|1979 Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty]] was received with controversy among Arab nations, particularly the Palestinians. Egypt's membership in the [[Arab League]] was suspended (and not reinstated until 1989).<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/country_profiles/1550977.stm BBC Timeline: Arab League]</ref> [[Palestine Liberation Organization|PLO]] Leader [[Yasser Arafat]] said "Let them sign what they like. False peace will not last."<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/26/newsid_2806000/2806245.stm 1979: Israel and Egypt shake hands on peace deal] BBC News</ref> In Egypt, various jihadist groups, such as the Egyptian Islamic Jihad and the al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, used the Camp David Accords to rally support for their cause.<ref>https://modernegypt.info/timeline/?random=483.76251850277185</ref> Previously sympathetic to Sadat's attempt to integrate them into Egyptian society,<ref name=ipppn /> Egypt's Islamists now felt betrayed and publicly called for the overthrow of the Egyptian president and the replacement of the nation's system of government with a government based on Islamic theocracy.<ref name="ipppn">{{cite book|last1=Palmer|first1=Monte|last2=Palmer|first2=Princess|title=At the Heart of Terror: Islam, Jihadists, and America's War on Terrorism|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=shNdxlispXAC&pg=PA87|year=2007|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-0-7425-3603-6|page=87}}</ref> |
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The last months of Sadat's presidency were marked by internal uprising. Sadat dismissed allegations that the rioting was incited by domestic issues, believing that the Soviet Union was recruiting its regional allies in Libya and Syria to incite an uprising that would eventually force him out of power. Following a failed military coup in June 1981, Sadat ordered a major crackdown that resulted in the arrest of numerous opposition figures. Though Sadat still maintained high levels of popularity in Egypt, it has been said that he was assassinated "at the peak" of his unpopularity.{{sfn|Kepel|1993|p=192}} |
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===Egyptian Islamic Jihad=== |
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Earlier in his presidency, [[Islamism|Islamists]] had benefited from the 'rectification revolution' and the release from prison of activists jailed under Nasser{{sfn|Kepel|1993|p=74}} but Sadat's Sinai treaty with Israel enraged Islamists, particularly the radical [[Egyptian Islamic Jihad]]. According to interviews and information gathered by journalist [[Lawrence Wright]], the group was recruiting military officers and accumulating weapons, waiting for the right moment to launch "a complete overthrow of the existing order" in Egypt. Chief strategist of El-Jihad was [[Abbud al-Zumar]], a colonel in the military intelligence whose "plan was to kill the main leaders of the country, capture the headquarters of the army and State Security, the telephone exchange building, and of course the radio and television building, where news of the Islamic revolution would then be broadcast, unleashing—he expected—a popular uprising against secular authority all over the country."{{sfn|Wright|2006|p=49}} |
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In February 1981, Egyptian authorities were alerted to El-Jihad's plan by the arrest of an operative carrying crucial information. In September, Sadat ordered a highly unpopular roundup of more than 1500 people, including many Jihad members, but also [[Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria|the Coptic Pope]] and other Coptic clergy, intellectuals and activists of all ideological stripes.<ref>'Cracking Down', ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', 14 September 1981</ref> All non-government press was banned as well.{{sfn|Kepel|1993|p=103-4}} The round up missed a Jihad cell in the military led by Lieutenant [[Khalid Islambouli]], who would succeed in assassinating Anwar Sadat that October.{{sfn|Wright|2006|p=50}} |
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According to [[Tal'at Fu'ad Qasim|Tala'at Qasim]], ex-head of the [[Gama'a Islamiyya]] interviewed in ''[[Middle East Report]]'', it was not Islamic Jihad but his organization, known in English as the "Islamic Group", that organized the assassination and recruited the assassin (Islambouli). Members of the Group's 'Majlis el-Shura' ('Consultative Council') – headed by the famed 'blind shaykh' – were arrested two weeks before the killing, but they did not disclose the existing plans and Islambouli succeeded in assassinating Sadat.<ref>For an account that uses this version of events, look at Middle East Report's January–March 1996 issue, specifically [[Hisham Mubarak]]'s interview with ? On pages 42–43 Qasim deals specifically with rumors of Jihad Group involvement in the assassination, and denies them entirely.</ref> |
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==Assassination== |
==Assassination== |
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[[File:Sadat and Carter - USNWR.jpg |
[[File:Sadat and Carter - USNWR.jpg|thumb|left|Sadat (left), with President [[Jimmy Carter]], in [[Washington, D.C.]] on April 8, 1980, during a visit to the [[White House]].]] |
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On 6 October 1981, a victory parade was held in [[Cairo]] to commemorate [[Operation Badr (1973)|Egypt's crossing of the Suez Canal]].<ref name="year81upi"/> Sadat was protected by four layers of security and eight bodyguards, and the army parade should have been safe due to [[ammunition]]-seizure rules. As [[Egyptian Air Force]] [[Dassault Mirage|Mirage]] jets flew overhead, distracting the crowd, [[Egyptian Army]] soldiers and troop trucks paraded. One troop |
On 6 October 1981, a victory parade was held in [[Cairo]] to commemorate the eighth anniversary of [[Operation Badr (1973)|Egypt's crossing of the Suez Canal]].<ref name="year81upi"/> Sadat was protected by four layers of security and eight bodyguards, and the army parade should have been safe due to [[ammunition]]-seizure rules. As [[Egyptian Air Force]] [[Dassault Mirage|Mirage]] jets flew overhead, distracting the crowd, [[Egyptian Army]] soldiers and troop trucks towing artillery paraded. One troop contained the assassination squad, led by Lieutenant [[Khalid Islambouli]]. As the truck passed the tribune, Islambouli forced the driver at gunpoint to stop. From there, the assassins dismounted and Islambouli approached Sadat with three [[hand grenade]]s concealed under his helmet. Sadat stood to receive his salute (Talaat El Sadat, nephew of Anwar, later said "The president thought the killers were part of the show when they approached the stands firing, so he stood saluting them"),<ref name=CNN1011>{{cite news|last=Fahmy|first=Mohamed Fadel|title=30 years later, questions remain over Sadat killing, peace with Israel|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/06/world/meast/egypt-sadat-assassination/|newspaper=CNN|date=October 7, 2011}}</ref> whereupon, Islambouli threw all his grenades at Sadat, only one of which exploded (but fell short), and additional assassins rose from the truck, indiscriminately firing [[AK-47]] [[assault rifle]]s into the stands. After Sadat was hit and fell to the ground, people threw chairs around him to shield him from the hail of bullets. |
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The attack lasted about two minutes. Sadat and eleven others were killed, including the [[Cuba]]n ambassador, an [[Oman]]i general, and a [[Coptic Orthodox]] bishop. Twenty-eight were wounded, including Vice President [[Hosni Mubarak]], [[Minister for Defence (Ireland)|Irish Defence Minister]] [[James Tully (Irish politician)|James Tully]], and four US military liaison officers. Security forces were momentarily stunned but reacted within seconds. One of the attackers was killed, and the three others injured and arrested. Sadat was airlifted to a military hospital,<ref name=onthisday>{{cite news|title=On this day: 6 October|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/6/newsid_2515000/2515841.stm|accessdate=23 December 2012|newspaper=BBC}}</ref> where eleven doctors operated on him. He died nearly two hours after he was taken to the hospital.<ref name=onthisday/> Sadat's death was attributed to "violent nervous shock and internal bleeding in the chest cavity, where the left lung and major blood vessels below it were torn."<ref name=nyt81>{{cite news|title=On this day|url=http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/1006.html|accessdate=23 December 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=6 October 1981}}</ref> |
The attack lasted about two minutes. Sadat and eleven others were killed outright or suffered fatal wounds, including the [[Cuba]]n ambassador, an [[Oman]]i general, and a [[Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria|Coptic Orthodox]] bishop. Twenty-eight were wounded, including Vice President [[Hosni Mubarak]], [[Minister for Defence (Ireland)|Irish Defence Minister]] [[James Tully (Irish politician)|James Tully]], and four US military liaison officers. Security forces were momentarily stunned but reacted within 45 seconds. One of the attackers was killed, and the three others injured and arrested. Sadat was airlifted to a military hospital,<ref name=onthisday>{{cite news|title=On this day: 6 October|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/6/newsid_2515000/2515841.stm|accessdate=23 December 2012|newspaper=BBC}}</ref> where eleven doctors operated on him. He died nearly two hours after he was taken to the hospital.<ref name=onthisday/> Sadat's death was attributed to "violent nervous shock and internal bleeding in the chest cavity, where the left lung and major blood vessels below it were torn."<ref name=nyt81>{{cite news|title=On this day|url=http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/1006.html|accessdate=23 December 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=6 October 1981}}</ref> |
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==Aftermath== |
==Aftermath== |
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{{Expand section|date=February 2011}} |
{{Expand section|date=February 2011}} |
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[[File:Sadat tomb 03.JPG|right|thumb|A marker at the [[Unknown Soldier Memorial (Egypt)|Unknown Soldier Memorial]], where Sadat was buried.]] |
[[File:Sadat tomb 03.JPG|right|thumb|A marker at the [[Unknown Soldier Memorial (Egypt)|Unknown Soldier Memorial]], where Sadat was buried.]] |
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In conjunction with the assassination, an insurrection was organized in [[Asyut]] in Upper Egypt. Rebels took control of the city for a few days and 68 policemen and soldiers were killed in the fighting. Government control was not restored until paratroopers from Cairo arrived. Most of the militants convicted of fighting received light sentences and served only three years in prison.<ref>Sageman, Marc, ''Understanding Terror Networks,'' [[University of Pennsylvania Press]], 2004, pp. |
In conjunction with the assassination, an insurrection was organized in [[Asyut]] in Upper Egypt. Rebels took control of the city for a few days and 68 policemen and soldiers were killed in the fighting. Government control was not restored until paratroopers from Cairo arrived. Most of the militants convicted of fighting received light sentences and served only three years in prison.<ref>Sageman, Marc, ''Understanding Terror Networks,'' [[University of Pennsylvania Press]], 2004, pp. 33–34</ref> |
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===Burial=== |
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Sadat was buried in the [[Unknown Soldier Memorial (Egypt)|Unknown Soldier Memorial]], located in the [[Nasr City]] district of [[Cairo]]. |
Sadat was buried in the [[Unknown Soldier Memorial (Egypt)|Unknown Soldier Memorial]], located in the [[Nasr City]] district of [[Cairo]]. The inscription on his grave reads: "hero of war and peace".<ref name=CNN1011/> |
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| ⚫ | At first, Sadat was succeeded by [[Sufi Abu Taleb]], who remained as the [[Acting President|Acting]] [[President of Egypt]] until October 14, 1981, when Sadat's former [[Vice President]], [[Hosni Mubarak]], became the new Egyptian President for nearly 30 years until stepping down during the [[2011 Egyptian revolution]]. |
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===Assassins=== |
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Islambouli and the other assassins were tried, found guilty, sentenced to death, and executed by firing squad in April 1982.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Lfo9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=CkkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3096,3218494&dq=|title=Sadat Assassins are Executed|date=16 April 1982|publisher=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Glasgow Herald]]|accessdate=16 February 2011}}</ref> |
Islambouli and the other assassins were tried, found guilty, sentenced to death, and executed by firing squad in April 1982.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Lfo9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=CkkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3096,3218494&dq=|title=Sadat Assassins are Executed|date=16 April 1982|publisher=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Glasgow Herald]]|accessdate=16 February 2011}}</ref> |
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In 2012, Khaled Al-Islambouli's mother spoke highly of her son's assassination in the Iranian newspaper [[Fars]]. She said "I am very proud that my son killed Anwar Al-Sadat… [The government] called him [Khaled] a terrorist, a criminal, and a murderer, but they didn’t say that was he was defending Islam. They didn’t say anything about the oppressed people in Palestine, about Camp David, or how Sadat sold out the country to the Jews and violated the honour of the Islamic nation."<ref>{{cite news|title=I'm proud my son Khaled killed Anwar Sadat: Mother|url=http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/34912/Egypt/Politics-/Im-proud-my-son-Khaled-killed-Anwar-Sadat-Mother.aspx|newspaper=AhramOnline|date=19 February 2012}}</ref> |
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==See also== |
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{{portalbar|Biography|Egypt|Politics}} |
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==References== |
==References== |
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;Citations |
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{{Reflist|33em}} |
{{Reflist|33em}} |
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;Bibliography |
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*{{cite book|ref=harv|last=Kepel|first=Gilles|title=Le Prophète et pharaon: aux sources des mouvements islamistes|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=BfsRAQAAIAAJ|year=1993|publisher=Éditions du Seuil|isbn=978-2-02-019429-7}} |
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*{{cite book|ref=harv|last=Wright|first=Lawrence|title=The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=CG5lk7oQQRwC|year=2006|publisher=Knopf|isbn=978-0-375-41486-2}} |
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==External links== |
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* {{commons-inline|Anwar Sadat}} |
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* http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/1225.html |
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* http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/12/world/middleeast/12egypt.html?pagewanted=1&ref=global-home&_r=1&gwh=2D3EAC1AE9AF452DBBB7E4B1FFE9CF9A&gwt=regi& [Possible Paywall] |
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{{coord missing|Egypt}} |
{{coord missing|Egypt}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sadat, Assassination of}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sadat, Assassination of}} |
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[[Category:1981 in Egypt]] |
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[[Category:20th century in Cairo]] |
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[[Category:20th century in Egypt]] |
[[Category:20th century in Egypt]] |
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[[Category:History of Egypt (1900–present)]] |
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[[Category:Anwar Sadat]] |
[[Category:Anwar Sadat]] |
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[[Category:Assassinations]] |
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[[Category:Filmed assassinations]] |
[[Category:Filmed assassinations]] |
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[[Category:History of Egypt (1900–present)]] |
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[[Category:Mass murder in 1981]] |
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