Anwar Sadat

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Muhammad Anwar es-Sadat was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as president from 1970 to 1981.

Succeeding Gamal Abdel Nasser as President in 1970, Sadat restored morale by his handling of the Egyptian campaign in the 1973 war against Israel, leading Egypt to regain Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, which Israel had occupied since the Six-Day War of 1967.

In 1974, his plan for economic, social, and political reform to transform Egypt was unanimously adopted in a referendum.

In 1977, he visited Israel to reconcile the two countries and shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in 1978.

Although feted by the West for pursuing peace with Israel, Sadat was denounced by the Arab world. His Sinai treaty with Israel enraged Islamists, particularly the radical Egyptian Islamic Jihad.

He was assassinated by Islamic fundamentalist army officers in 1981 during the annual victory parade held in Cairo to celebrate Egypt’s crossing of the Suez Canal.

In addition to Sadat, eleven others were killed, including the Cuban ambassador, an Omani general, a Coptic Orthodox bishop and Samir Helmy, the head of Egypt’s Central Auditing Agency (CAA).

Twenty-eight were wounded, including Vice President Hosni Mubarak, Irish Defence Minister James Tully, and four US military liaison officers.

The assassin, Al-Islambuli, was tried, found guilty, sentenced to death, and executed by firing squad in April 1982.

Sadat was succeeded by Hosni Mubarak.