Basil Al Kubaisi
Basil Al Kubaisi | |
|---|---|
| Born | Basil Raouf Al Kubaisi 1934 |
| Died | 6 April 1973 (aged 38–39) Paris, France |
| Cause of death | Assassination |
| Burial place | Baghdad, Iraq |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Academic |
| Spouse | Nadia Al Khudairi |
| Children | 3 |
| Academic background | |
| Thesis | Arab Nationalist Movement 1951-1971: From Pressure Group to Socialist Party (1971) |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Political science |
| Institutions | |
Basil Al Kubaisi (
Early life and education
Al Kubaisi was born in Baghdad in 1934.[1] He hailed from an affluent Sunni Muslim family.[2] His father, Raouf Al Kubaisi, worked for Hussein bin Ali, King of Hejaz and held several posts in Iraq, including the governor of Basra.[1]
Basil was educated in Baghdad. He attended the American University of Beirut (AUB) until 1954 when he was expelled from the university due to his nationalist activities.[3] While attending the AUB he met with George Habash, future leader of the PFLP.[2] Al Kubaisi continued his university studies in the USA where he received a degree in political sciences from Adams State University, Colorado, in 1956.[1][4]
Al Kubaisi held a master's degree from the Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1966.[4][5] His MA thesis was entitled The Algerian Front de Liberation (F.L.N.), 1954-1964: From Liberation Movement to Political Party.[5]
Al Kubaisi received his PhD from the American University, Washington, D.C., in 1971.[4][6] His doctoral thesis was entitled Arab Nationalist Movement 1951-1971: From Pressure Group to Socialist Party.[7] While making interviews to gather data for his study Al Kubaisi also met an American agent Robert Ames in Aden, Yemen.[2]
His PhD thesis was translated into Arabic by Al Kubaisi's wife in 1973 and was published by the Beirut-based Dar Al 'Awda and Majallat Al Hadaf with the title Harakat al Qawmiyyin al Arab (
Career and activities
Following his graduation in 1955 Al Kubaisi returned to Iraq and became a member of the
After his release from prison Al Kubaisi left Iraq and settled in Beirut.[12] He became a member of the PFLP in 1967 when the organization was established.[7] He was mainly involved in logistics activities in the group.[13]
Al Kubaisi worked as a faculty member at the American University of Beirut. Then he joined the University of Calgary, Canada, in 1969 where he worked until his assassination in 1972.[3]
Assassination
Israel initiated attacks against leading Arab figures after the killing of Israeli Olympic team members by the Black September Organization in Munich in September 1972.[14][15] Al Kubaisi was on the assassination list of the Mossad's Committee X, and they claimed that although he was not related to the Munich attack, he was a member of the PFLP which had been involved in various terrorist attacks against Israelis.[16] On the other hand, it was argued by the Mossad that Al Kubaisi helped the Black September Organization in terms of logistics and communications in Europe.[11] However, both Aaron J. Klein and George Jonas who published books in 2005 on the Munich attack openly stated that there was no connection between Al Kubaisi and the Black September Organization and that he did not have any role in the attack.[17]
Al Kubaisi was shot to death by two Mossad agents near his hotel on Paris's Chauveau Lagarde street on 6 April 1973.[16][18] The perpetrators were part of the Caesarea group within the Mossad.[12] They gunned down him nine times using a silenced Baretta pistol, and he died instantly.[16]
Al Kubaisi was buried in Baghdad after a funeral ceremony attended by many Iraqi and Palestinian officials.[1]
Aftermath
Immediately after the assassination the Iraqi embassy in Paris announced that it was "a terrorist act by Israeli secret agents."[18][19] A Palestinian news agency reported that he was “on a mission” for the PFLP in Paris.[18][19] His doctoral thesis was published in the PFLP's media organ Al-Hadaf magazine on 14 September 1974.[7][20] The magazine also published an obituary where Al Kubaisi was described as an "important ANM and PFLP member."[7]
Personal life
Al Kubaisi was married to Nadra Al Khudairi who held a PhD in English literature and was a member of a well-known Baghdadi family.[1] They had three sons, Ahmed, Yasser and Yaarub. His wife and children were killed in a plane crash in Syria in 1974.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "الشهيدان (يونس عواد) و باسل رؤوف الكبيسي". Amad (in Arabic). 6 April 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-307-88977-5.
- ^ a b c d e f g "44 عاماً على اغتيال المناضل باسل الكبيسي". Al Quds (in Arabic). 6 April 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ^ JSTOR 418512.
- ^ JSTOR 523094.
- ProQuest 288010137.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-135-22029-7.
- JSTOR 2538395.
- JSTOR 4328352.
- .
- ^ a b Benjamin A. Dawson (June 2013). Manhunts: A Policy Makers Guide to High-Value Targeting (MA thesis). Naval Postgraduate School. p. 46.
- ^ ISBN 9781400064274.
- ISBN 978-0-8122-4046-7.
- ^ Erica Pearson (26 June 2014). "Israeli Assassination Campaign & Retaliation. Operation Wrath of God". Encyclopædia Britannica.
- ^ "Israeli confirms assassinations of Munich massacre plotters". The Washington Post. 24 November 1993. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7546-4526-9.
- ^ Michael Rubner (2006). "Book review". Middle East Policy.
- ^ a b c "Iraqi, on a Guerrilla 'Mission' Shot and Killed in Paris Street". The New York Times. 7 April 1973. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ^ JSTOR 4325101.
- JSTOR 4325481.
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