Khalid Al-Islambuli

Egyptian Islamist

Khalid al Islambuli (خالد الإسلامبولي; 15 January 1955 – 15 April 1982) was an Egyptian military officer who participated in the assassination of Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, during the annual 6th October victory parade on 6 October 1981. Al Islambuli stated that his primary motivation for the assassination was Sadat's signing of the Camp David Accords with Israel and Sadat's plan for a more progressive Egypt. Al Islambuli was tried before an Egyptian court martial, found guilty, and sentenced to death by firing squad. Following his execution, he was declared a martyr by many in the Islamic world, and became an inspirational symbol for Islamic movements as one of the first 'modern martyrs of Islam'.

Islambouli was born in Minya Governorate. His father, Ahmad Shawqi, was an Upper Egyptian legal advisor and his mother, Qadria Ali Yusuf, 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.

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 was captured immediately after the assassination. He and twenty three conspirators, including eight military personnel, were tried before an Egyptian court martial. Found guilty of murder, 27 year old Islambouli was executed by firing squad on 15 April 1982.

In 1982, Iran issued a stamp in his honor, showing him shouting defiantly from behind bars. In addition, Iran had named a street after him in Tehran. However, Tehran City Council decided to rename that street to "Intifada" (Uprising) in 2004, in order to improve relations with Egypt. 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 in 2004. In 2012, Islambouli's mother, Qadriya, who lived in Afghanistan before returning to Egypt through Iran, mentioned in an interview with Iran's state run Fars News Agency that she was proud of her son who killed Anwar Al Sadat, as he was defending Islam.