Anwar Sadat
In 1977, President Sadat made a bold move by traveling to Israel, an enemy of Egypt, to seek peace. His efforts resulted in a peace treaty in 1979. He and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Despite this achievement, Sadat faced criticism from other Arab states for breaking ranks with their united stance against Israel. On October 6, 1981, a military parade was held in Cairo to mark the anniversary of Egypt’s crossing of the Suez Canal.
Despite being heavily guarded by four layers of security and eight bodyguards, Sadat was assassinated by a squad of attackers led by Lieutenant Khalid Islambouli. Disguised as part of the parade, they threw hand grenades and indiscriminately fired AK-47 assault rifles into the stands. Sadat and eleven others were killed and twenty-eight more were injured. The attack lasted only two minutes.
