Khalid Ahmed Showky Al-Islamboulilʔeslæmˈbuːli]) 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 martyrs' for Islam.
Early years and career Islambouli's father was an Egyptian
legal advisor and his mother was of Turkish descent. After graduating from
the Egyptian Military Academy, he was commissioned as an officer in the
Artillery Forces of the Egyptian Army with the rank of Second Lieutenant.
Sometime after this appointment, Islambouli joined the proscribed
Egyptian Islamic Jihad movement. Between 1976 and 1980, he served mostly as a
staff officer or as fire direction officer for various Artillery batteries,
battalions and regiments. In March 1980, he got his first field command, an
Artillery platoon gun line in the 116th Field Artillery Brigade based in Cairo.
His command included three 'active' field howitzers, a reserve field gun,
five to six transport trucks, seven jeeps, signaling equipment, light
infantry weapons such as assault rifles, medium machine guns, anti-Tank rockets,
light mortars, and sniper rifles for organic defence, and around 45
soldiers/conscripts, with a Second Lieutenant and a Sergeant acting as
second-in-command and third-in-command respectively. His role was to take
firing missions and orders from the Battery HQ. Apparently, he was scheduled
and approved for promotion to Captain by December 1981 and for posting as Staff
Officer-III in a Brigade HQ. Assassination of Sadat
Islambouli and his platoon originally were not supposed to participate in the
October parade, but they were chosen by the Military Intelligence, which was
infiltrated by Islamist sympathizers under Colonel Abbud al-Zumar, to replace
a platoon from the 133rd Artillery Battalion which was excused from
participation for apparently failing some routine tests and checks.
Once his platoon containing three heavy trucks towing M-46 field artillery guns
began to approach the President's platform, Islambouli, along with Junior
Sergeant Abdelhameed Abdul Salaam, 31, Corporal Ata Tayel Hameeda Raheel, 21,
and Corporal Hussein Abbas, 21, 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, including
eight military personnel, were tried. Found guilty, 27-year-old Islambouli and
three other conspirators were 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 avenue" instead of
Khalid Islambuli Avenue in an effort to improve these relations. On the other
hand, there is a symbolic tomb for Islambouli in the Behesht e Zahra
cemetery in Tehran. Relatives
Islambouli's younger brother Showqi Al-Islambouli came close to
assassinating the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on 22 June 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 Islambouli continues to serve as an
inspirational symbol for Islamist movements throughout the world,
including terrorist groups. In 1982, Iran issued a stamp in his honor,
showing him shouting defiantly from behind bars.
On 31 July 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 24 August 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