Abu Nidal Group

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abu nidal group

Abu Nidal Organization (ANO) a.k.a. Black September, the Fatah Revolutionary Council, the Arab Revolutionary Council, the Arab Revolutionary Brigades, the Revolutionary Organization of Socialist Muslims

Back Ground Information

The ANO international terrorist organization was founded by Sabri al-Banna (a.k.a. Abu Nidal) after splitting from the PLO in 1974. The group’s previous known structure consisted of various functional committees, including political, military, and financial. In November 2002 Abu Nidal died in Baghdad; the new leadership of the organization remains unclear

Nidal was born Sabri al-Banna in 1937 in British-ruled Palestine. His family fled to the West Bank during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, when he was eleven. In the 1950s he joined the Arab nationalist Ba'ath Party, whose motto is "Unity, Freedom, Socialism." In 1967 he joined the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), and for awhile he represented the Yasser Arafat-led Fatah faction, first in Sudan and later in Iraq

Abu Nidal

In 1974 Nidal became enraged by the PLO's moderate stance toward Israel. The PLO had begun land-for-peace negotiations with Israel, negotiating the creation of a national authority in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as an interim step toward eventual Palestinian statehood. Nidal rejected the very notion of Israel's right to exist, candidly endorsed that nation's swift and complete destruction by any means necessary, preferably "armed struggle." He was not interested in negotiating in any matter with the Jewish State that stole his homeland. There was only one way out for Israel in his mind. Total destruction.	Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

This major philosophical difference with the PLO prompted Nidal in 1974 to form the Fatah Revolutionary Council, a.k.a. the Abu Nidal Organization. Nidal's first orders were to launch a series of attacks against the PLO. From its inception, Abu Nidal Organization not only had anger toward the PLO, but also moderate Arab regimes in Jordan, Egypt, and the other Persian Gulf states. Nidal felt that the PLO and these moderate Middle East countries had let the Palestinian people down by allowing the state of Israel to occupy his home land. Even though a series of wars were fought on behalf of the Palestinians, Nidal felt it should have been a relentless effort. Nidal's early targets were Palestinians whose political views were at odds with the Nidal Organization. A form of house cleaning in the Palestinian community. In 1974 the PLO condemned Nidal and sentenced him to death in absentia

From 1974 until the 1980s, the Abu Nidal Organization was based in Baghdad. In 1983 Iraqi President Saddam Hussein expelled the Abu Nidal organization in an attempt to gain favor from the United States in a deal that would have the U.S. give support and assistance for Iraq in its war with Iran. After Abu Nidal's expulsion from Iraq the organization moved it operations to Syria, where it attempted to sabotage peace negotiations involving Jordan, Israel, and the PLO. Under U.S. pressure, Syria expelled Nidal in 1987, at which point the organization once again moved this time to Libya. In 1988, when the Iran-Iraq War ended, Iraq resumed its support of the Abu Nidal Organization. In 1999, Libya, seeking to rid itself of international sanctions as a state sponsor of terrorism, closed down all ANO offices within its borders, as did Egypt. Ultimately, Abu Nidal ended up under Saddam Hussein's protection in Iraq for a second time. This is where he died in 2002, supposedly by suicide. There is speculation, however, that he was killed on orders of Saddam Hussein. This could have been an attempt by Hussein to get some pressure off of him during the early years of the War on Terror. The reason of this possibility is due to the fact that soldiers were sent to his home to arrest him and they reported that he was found dead when they arrived. Two anonymous Palestinian officials would only say Abu Nidal died under "mysterious conditions." Other Palestinian sources confirmed his death, but said there was more than one bullet wound. Suicide in majority of cases only requires one bullet wound. He was 65 years old.

Leadership and Organization

Since 2002 when Abu Nidal died in Baghdad; the new leadership of the organization remains unclear.

Major Acts of Terrorism

The Abu Nidal Organization became one of the most violent Palestinian groups in the world, conducting terror attacks in more than twenty countries, killing almost 900 people in precise orchestrated attacks. The group has demonstrated the ability to operate over a wide area, including the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. However, financial problems and internal disorganization have greatly reduced the group’s activities and its ability to maintain cohesive terrorist capability.

Under the name "Black September," Nidal and a group of accomplices were responsible for the infamous "Munich massacre during the September 1972 Olympic games in Germany, when they kidnapped and murdered eleven Israeli athletes and officials as well as a German police officer.

On December 27, 1985 Abu Nidal orchestrated shootings in Rome and Vienna airports. In Rome, four of Nidal's gunmen walked up to the ticket booth of Israel's El Al Airlines and opened fire with assault rifles and grenades, killing 16 and wounding 80. Just minutes later in Vienna, three of Nidal's terrorists killed 4 and wounded 39.

Nidal made at least two unsuccessful attempts to assassinate Yassir Arafat. In the process the group did manage to kill a number of Arafat's close confidants including the 1991 murder of Arafat's closest aide in Tunisia and other "moderate" Palestinians.

On September 6, 1986 the Abu Nidal terror organization killed 22 and wound six inside the Neve Shalom Synagogue in Istanbul, Turkey during Shabbat services.

September 5, 1986 - Hijacking of Pan Am flight #73 in Karachi, Pakistan. Twenty people killed, more than 100 injured. This was an extremely brutal attack . A group of 4 of Nidal's Organization used airport security uniforms and a van to storm the plane with assault rifles, grenades and plastic explosives. After seizing control of the aircraft, one of the Hijackers ordered the flight attendants to collect passports from passengers. The flight attendants complied, but risking their own lives, they declined to collect some of the United States passports and hid others passports from the hijackers. After the passports had been collected, The hijackers walked through the cabin, asking passengers about their nationalities. When one hijacker arrived at the seat of Rajesh Kumar, a 29-year-old recently naturalized Californian resident, The hijacker ordered Kumar to go to the front doorway of the aircraft and to get down on his knees with his hands behind his head. At about 10:00 a.m., the lead hijacker became angry about the delay in the arrival of a new flight crew and he threatened to shoot Kumar if something was not done within 15 minutes. Shortly thereafter he shot Kumar in the head and pushed him out the door onto the tarmac below. As night time arrived the planes lights malfunctioned and in apparent darkness the hijackers opened fire and hefted grenades killing 20 and injuring over a hundred, Many escaped when the firing started by pushing a door open.
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Abu Nidal Organization (ANO), aka Fatah Revolutionary Council, the ... Abu Nidal Organization (ANO), aka Fatah Revolutionary Council, the Arab Revolutionary Brigades, or the Revolutionary Organization of Socialist Muslims
Abu Nidal organization (ANO) International terrorist organization founded by Sabri al-Banna (a.k.a Abu Nidal). Split from PLO in 1974. Made up of various functional committees, including political, military, and financial. In November 2002, Abu Nidal died in Baghdad; the new leadership of the organization is unclear.