Tal'at Fu'ad Qasim | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1957 |
| Died | (aged 38) Possibly executed place |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging (alleged) |
| Other names | Abu Talal al-Qasimi |
| Occupation | Leader ofal-Jama'a al-Islamiyya |
| Known for | Supposed abduction and likely execution |
Tal'at Fu'ad Qasim[1] (also spelled Qassim,Arabic:طلعت فؤاد قاسم; bornc. 1957 Nag Hammadi Qena Governorate), also known asAbu Talal al-Qasimi (Arabic:أبو طلال القاسمي) (possibly executed in 1995), was the leader of Egypt's militantal-Jama'a al-Islamiyya (Gama'a Islamiyya) organization until he obtainedpolitical asylum inDenmark. He was executed in secret in 1995, following the first modern "extraordinary rendition" at the hands of U.S. authorities.
Qasim got his start in the Gama'a Islamiyya in the late 1970s, when he was head of the Student Union atMinya University in Upper Egypt; according to some sources, he was the immediate superior in the organization ofAnwar Sadat's killer,Khalid Islambouli.[2] He was arrested and imprisoned following the assassination, escaping after serving eight years in prison. He then joined thejihad against theSoviets in Afghanistan (actually operating fromPeshawar,Pakistan); in 1989 he became head of the Gam'a Islamiyya. After being sentenced to death by an Egyptian security court, he obtained asylum in Denmark, despite his public espousal and embrace ofterrorist violence against civilians.[3]
In September 1995, he was kidnapped inCroatia[4] during a trip to war-tornBosnia. His capture was orchestrated by U.S. authorities, who had concluded that he posed a threat to U.S. interests. After questioning aboard aU.S. Navy vessel, he was handed over to Egyptian authorities in international waters.[5]
Qasim, who had been tried and convictedin absentia by a military tribunal in 1992, was then apparently executed in secret by the Egyptian government, allegedly after torture. Early November news piece claimed "police continued to interrogate" him.[6] The Egyptian government refused to acknowledge the detention and execution. According toHuman Rights Watch, Qasim's was the first case of "extraordinary rendition"; predating by six years theSeptember 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.
In 2017, Qasim was removed from the US sanctions list twenty-two years after his death.[7]