Twenty Years prior to 9/11, the Muslim Brotherhood executed the assassination of Anwar Sadat in what appeared like a realistic science fiction movie. While Sadat was looking up towards the overhead fighter jets, the shooters sprayed him with bullets from an army pick up truck. First impression was that he would have been shot from air. Few minutes later, the video footage played scenes of the four shooters executing their plot with extraordinary precision. The only glitch was the escape of Mubarak as he ducked down escaping an immediate kill. All Sadat's security men were banned from carrying live ammunition.
Sadat's assassination, October 6, 1981.
Hosni Mubarak, determined to stay until the election. January 31, 2011.
Anwar Sadat, died 1981.
Mubarak, Sadat, and Gazala, October 6, 1981 prior to assassination.
Muslim Brotherhood executing their assassination plot, 1981.
The beginning of the assassination plot.
Mubarak's escape of death in 1981 submerged Egypt into three decades of darkness, poverty, and oppression. Twenty years later, three out of four planes hijacked by members of the Muslim Brotherhood executed their plot in the USA and dragged the American Super Power into two wars. Both wars resulted in the elimination of two brutal dictatorships. All along, the Muslim Brotherhood was right about the menace of tyranny in the Arab World and the destruction of the Palestinian people by the treasures and blood of the American people. As if thirty years were too short for an American president to send a call to Mubarak or King Hussein or the Israelis or the Saudis urging them to respect the American values of equality and human rights.
Mubarak to stay on till election
Clashes erupt in Alexandria shortly after Egyptian president's speech offering a mixture of concessions and defiance.
Al Jazeera Online Producer Last Modified: 01 Feb 2011 22:34 GMT
January 31, 2011
Mubarak's televised announcement came after eight days of unprecedented nationwide protests [EPA]
CAIRO, EGYPT - Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, has announced in a televised address that he will not run for re-election but refused to step down from office - the central demand of millions of protesters who have demonstrated across Egypt over the past week.
His announcement follows a week of protests, in which millions of people have taken to the streets in Cairo and elsewhere.
Mubarak seemed largely unfazed by the protests during his recorded address, which aired at 11pm local time on Tuesday.
Shortly after his speech, clashes broke out between pro-Mubarak and anti-government protesters in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, Al Jazeera's correspondent reported.
Rock-throwing youths at the city's Mahatit Masr Square scattered as automatic gunfire rang out and a tank advanced towards them before halting and then withdrawing. There was no sign of any casualties.
A protester identified as Eslam Kamal played down the seriousness of the incident.
"An argument erupted out of overexcitement," he said.
"The army acted wisely ... and started to separate the two groups."
Mubarak's words were unlikely to carry much weight with the protesters at Cairo's Tahrir, or Liberation, Square: they resumed their "Leave, Mubarak!" chant shortly after his speech, and added a few new slogans, like "we won't leave tomorrow, we won't leave Thursday ..."
Mubarak mentioned the protests at the beginning of his speech, and said that "the young people" have the right to peaceful demonstrations.
But his tone quickly turned accusatory, saying the protesters had been "taken advantage of" by people trying to "undermine the government".
Until now, officials had indicated Mubarak, 82, was likely to run for a sixth six-year term of office. But in his address on Tuesday, Mubarak said he never intended to run for re-election.
"I will use the remaining months of my term in office to fill the peoples' demands," he said.
That would leave Mubarak in charge of overseeing a transitional government until the next presidential election, currently scheduled for September.
Economy and jobs
Mubarak promised reforms to the constitution, particularly Article 76, which makes it virtually impossible for independent candidates to run for office. And he said his government would focus on improving the economy and providing jobs.
"My new government will be responsive to the needs of young people," he said. "It will fulfil those legitimate demands and help the return of stability and security."
Mubarak also made a point of saying that he would "die in this land" - a message to protesters that he did not plan to flee into exile like recently deposed Tunisian president, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
People power
None of the protesters interviewed earlier today said they would accept Mubarak finishing his term in office.
"He needs to leave now," Hassan Moussa said in Tahrir Square just hours before Mubarak's announcement.
"We won't accept him leaving in September, or handing power to [newly installed vice-president] Omar Suleiman. He needs to leave now."
So the protests continue to feel like a waiting game - as if Mubarak is hoping to simply outlast the crowds amassed at Tahrir Square.
"When the people of a nation decide something, then it will happen," Abdullah Said Ahmed, a student from Al-Azhar University, said. "The United States chooses its leaders. We're going to choose ours. Our patience can do anything."
Saber Shanan said: "I'll stay here until I die or until the system changes."
Mubarak's announcement came after pressure from the US, which urged him not to seek re-election.
Frank Wisner, a former ambassador to Egypt, met Mubarak on Monday and reportedly told him not to extend his time in office.
In remarks to the media at the White House on Tuesday evening, Barack Obama, the US president, said he had spoken with Mubarak who he said "recognises that the status quo is not sustainable and a change must take place".
Obama said he told Mubarak that an orderly transition must be meaningful and peaceful, must begin now and must include opposition parties.
Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera's senior political analyst, said: "It is clear that President Mubarak is in denial over his legacy.
"Until Friday we are probably going to watch a major escalation of tension in events both between the demonstrators on the one hand and the regime of Mubarak on the other."
King Hussein of Jordan fearing the spread of the Tunisian erruption.
Thousands of Jordanians took to the streets inspired by the protests in Tunisia and Egypt [GALLO/GETTY]
King Abdullah II of Jordan has sacked his government in the wake of street protests and has asked an ex-army general to form a new cabinet, Jordan's Royal Palace has announced.
King Abdullah's move on Tuesday comes after thousands of Jordanians took to the streets, inspired by anti-government protests in Tunisia and Egypt. Jordanians had been calling for the resignation of prime minister Samir Rifai who is blamed for a rise in fuel and food prices and slowed political reforms.
A Jordanian official said the monarch officially accepted the resignation of Rifai, a wealthy politician and former court adviser, and asked Marouf Bakhit to form a new cabinet.
"[Bakhit] is a former general and briefly ambassador to Israel who has been prime minister before. He's someone who would be seen as a safe pair of hands," Rosemary Hollis, professor of Middle East policy studies at London's City University, said.
"I wouldn't see it as a sign of liberalisation. With his previous premiership, he talked the talk of reform but little actually happened," she said.
Protests have spread across Jordan in the last few weeks, with demonstrators blaming corruption spawned by free-market reforms for the plight of the country's poor.
Many Jordanians hold successive governments responsible for a prolonged recession and rising public debt that hit a record $15bn this year in one of the Arab world's smallest economies, heavily dependent on foreign aid.
SADAT ASSASSINATED AT ARMY PARADE AS MEN AMID RANKS FIRE INTO STANDS; VICE PRESIDENT AFFIRMS 'ALL TREATIES'
AT LEAST 8 KILLED Speaker of Parliamet is Interim President -- Election in 60 Days
By WILLIAM E. FARRELL
Special to The New York Times
RELATED HEADLINES Israel Stunned and Anxious; Few Arab Nations Mourning
Egypt After Sadat
Who Murdered President Sadat?
CAIRO, Oct. 6 -- President Anwar el-Sadat of Egypt was shot and killed today by a group of men in military uniforms who hurled hand grenades and fired rifles at him as he watched a military parade commemorating the 1973 war against Israel.
Egypt's treaties and international commitments would be respected. He said the Speaker of Parliament, Sufi Abu Taleb, would serve as interim President pending an election in 60 days.
The assassins' bullets ended the life of a man who earned a reputation for making bold decisions in foreign affairs, a reputation based in large part on his decision in 1977 to journey to the camp of Egypt's foe, Israel, to make peace.
Sadat Forged His Own Regime
Regarded as an interim ruler when he came to power in 1970 on the death of Gamal Abdel Nasser, Mr. Sadat forged his own regime and ran Egypt single-handedly. He was bent on moving this impoverished country into the late 20th century, a drive that led him to abandon an alliance with the Soviet Union and embrace the West.
That rule ended abruptly and violently toda y. As jet fighters roared overhead, the killers sprayed the reviewing
Of humble origin, Anwar el-Sadat became a statesman known for daring actions. Obituary, pages A8 and A9. stand with bullets while thousands of horrified people - officials, diplomats and journalists, including this correspondent - looked on.
Killers' Identity Not Disclosed
Information gathered from a number of sources indicated that eight persons had been killed and 27 wounded in the attack. Later reports, all unconfirmed, put the toll at 11 dead and 38 wounded.
The authorities did not disclose the identity of the assassins. They were being interrogated, and there were no clear indications whether the attack was to have been part of a coup attempt.
(In Washington, American officials said an army major, a lieutenant and four enlisted men had been involved in the attack. The major and two of the soldiers were killed and the others captured, the officials said.)
The assassination followed a recent crackdown by Mr. Sadat against religious extremists and other political opponents. There were unverifiable reports that some members of the armed forces had also been detained.
Those standing nearby at the parade today said six to eight soldiers riding in a truck towing an artillery piece had broken away from the line of march and walked purposefully toward the reviewing stand. Onlookers thought the procession was part of the pageant. Suddenly, a hand grenade exploded and bursts of rifle fire erupted while French-made Mirage jets screeched overhead.
The 62-year-old leader was rushed to Maadi Military Hospital by helicopter and died several hours later.
Business leaders said President Sadat's assassination underscored the volatility of the Middle East with its vital oil supplies. Page D1. said to have been struck by two bullets. A medical bulletin said he might have been hit by as many as five bullets and shrapnel fragments.
The bulletin said he had no heartbeat when he arrived at the hospital. It attributed his death, at 2:40 P.M. (8:40 A.M. New York time), to ''violent nervous shock and internal bleeding in the chest cavity, where the left lung and major blood vessels below it were torn.''
The death of Mr. Sadat raised serious questions about the direction the nation would now take. At least for the time being, affairs of state are expected to be run largely by Vice President Mubarak, a longtime associate who promptly took over direction of the armed forces after the President died. Egypt's ruling National Democratic Party announced that Vice President Mub arak would be its candidate in the presidential election.
Mr. Mubarek, in his broadcast announcing Mr. Sadat's death seven hours after the assassination, indicated that Egypt would continue to respect the peace treaty with Israel.
''I hereby declare,'' he said, ''in the name of the great soul passing away and in the name of the people, its constitutional institutions and its armed forces, that we are committed to all charters, treaties, and international obligations that Egypt has concluded.''
Security police patrolled Cairo's streets, nearly empty except for some shoppers because of the holiday marking the 1973 war, and government buildings were being closely guarded.
Regular television programming was canceled after the announcement of Mr. Sadat's death and was replaced by readings from the Koran and film clips of his achievements - the 1973 war against Israel, which Mr. Sadat said restored Egyptian dignity after its defeat in 1967, the peace treaty with Israel and other milestones. No film of the attack on the reviewing stand at today's parade was shown on Egyptian television.
Reviewing Stand Awash in Blood
Within seconds of the attack, the reviewing stand was awash in blood. Bemedaled officials dived for cover. Screams and panic followed as guests tried to flee, tipping over chairs. Some were crushed under foot. Others, shocked and stunned, stood riveted.
This correspondent saw one assailant, a stocky, dark-haired man, standing in a half crouch, firing a rifle into the stand used by Mr. Sadat, who was wearing black leather boots and military attire crossed by a green sash.
Some onlookers reported a short, fierce exchange of fire between the killers and Mr. Sadat's security men. Others said the attackers had been overcome by some of the thousands of military men in the area.
While spectators sought a way out, the reviewing stand for a few seconds was nearly empty. Flanked on each side by displays of sleek missiles, the stand was a blood-soaked horror.
Mr. Sadat was promptly carried away, but others felled by bullets remained writhing on the ground. A few did not move. One man, seriously wounded, was slumped over a railing separating Mr. Sadat and his party from the parade about 20 yards away.
Among those hit was reported to be Bishop Samuel, whom Mr. Sadat had named one of five clerics to run the Coptic Christians' affairs after he deposed their Pope, Sheunda III. The bishop was later reported to have died.
Others said to have died were two presidential aides - Mohammed Rashwan, the official photographer, and Sayed Marei, a confidant. The Belgian Ambassador, Claude Ruelle, was seriously wounded, and three American military officers were hurt.
Egypt's Defense Minister, Gen. Abdel Halim Abu Ghazala, who had opened the parade with a speech, stood in the midst of the carnage. His face was bleeding, his gold-braided uniform was blood-soaked. He waved away attempts to assist him and began issuing orders.
Soldiers wearing red berets and perfectly creased uniforms promptly joined hands to cordon off the scene of the attack, widening the circle as more soldiers arrived. Some of the soliders were sobbing, a few screamed hysterically, others looked dumbfounded.
Overhead, the air show continued. Planes looped and swerved and dived and arced and sent colorful sprays of vapor over the pandemonium below. The roar of engines drowned out the screams and the clatter of chairs. Camel Corps on Parade
The parade ground, which had witnessed a joyful procession of Egypt's most advanced arms as well as the colorful camel corps, with its turbaned soldiers, and the cavalry, with its sleek, elegant Arabian horses, was littered with little Egyptian souvenir flags dropped by panicked guests. As members of military bands scattered, the brilliant sun beamed off shiny, yellow tubas and other brass instruments.
The Egyptian military establishment has long been regarded as the ingredient needed by any leader to remain in power. Diplomatic and military analysts said that Mr. Sadat had the support of the military and that it assured the stability of his regime and permitted him to take daring steps, such as the peace overture to Israel and, finally, the peace treaty. In the absence of information, it was hard to tell whether the assassins represented a disenchantment with Mr. Sadat within the military.
Speculation abounded. Some thought the attackers, who many felt must have kno wn that they were on a suicide mission, might be Moslem fundamentalists opposed to the alliance with Israel and to Mr. Sadat's recen t crackdown.
About a month ago, he ordered the arrest of some 1,500 Coptic and Moslem extremists, along with some of his political opponents. He said they had fomented sectarian strife and endangered his efforts to bring democracy to Egypt.
A devout Moslem, Mr. Sadat was harsh toward fundamentalist groups, such as the Moslem Brotherhood and the Islamic Association. He banned both groups, calling them illegal. He said that he would not tolerate mixing religion and politics and that these groups were using mosques to denounce him. Arrest of Some Military Rumored
The published names of those arrested in the crackdown did not include those of military personnel. But there were reports that some of those detained were in the armed forces.
After Mr. Sadat's helicopter had left the scene, diplomats rushed to their limousines. Soldiers cleared the grounds and drove away the stunned spectators. Ambulances wailed, women clutching their children raced away. And the airshow above continued.
Early in the parade, a rocketlike object had been launched. It rained down Egyptian flags and portraits of Mr. Sadat hanging from tiny parachutes that were whipped by the wind. Most of them floated over a nearby housing development called Nasser City.
As the grounds were being cleared, one of the parachuted portraits was seen hanging from a flag pole on which it had become impaled in landing. The portrait of Mr. Sadat had been torn by the sharp tip of the Egyptian flag that was fluttering from it.
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