
Mural of Islambouli
Khalid Islambouli (15 January 1955-15 April 1982) was a Lieutenant in the Egyptian Army who was responsible for the 1981 assassination of President Anwar Sadat. Islambouli was a member of the military cell of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, and was executed by firing squad along with three others.
Biography[]
Islambouli was born to an Egyptian father and Turkish mother in Egypt in 1955, and after graduating from the Egyptian Military Academy, he became an officer of the Bombardment Forces of the Egyptian Army. During this time, he also joined the Egyptian Islamic Jihad movement.
In 1978, President Anwar Sadat signed the Camp David Accords with the Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel, making peace and recognizing Israel as an independent country. This decision angered conservative Muslims, who wanted to wipe out the Jewish people. Islambouli was a member of the cell in the army of the EIJ, and made it past the government purge of members of the organization. Islambouli was chosen by chance to join in the 8th Anniversary of the 6th of October Victory Parade, celebrating Egypt's "victory" in the Yom Kippur War. He finally had his chance to kill the President.
When his contingent of troops marched past the President's stand, Islambouli and fellow conspirators Abdelhameed Abdul Salaam, Ata Tayel Hameeda Raheel, and Hussein Abbas lobbed grenades at the stand and Islambouli emptied his assault rifle into Sadat's body. Shortly after the assassination, Islambouli and 23 others were tried for the killing of the president, and Islambouli and 3 others were executed by firing squad.