Sir Abdul Aziz Shennib ( ar, سيد عزيز شنيب ''Sayyid Abdul Aziz Shennib''; 17 August 1936 – 2 July 2003) son of Sir

Omar Faiek Shennib Sir Omar Faiek Shennib (Omar Fayek Shennib, Omar Shannib, Omar Shannaib) ( ar, عمر فائق شنيب) was Libyan Minister of Defence, Chief of the Royal Diwan, Vice President of the Libyan National Assembly under the reign of King Idris Al Se ...

and brother to Lady Amal Shennib and Lady Ibtisam Shennib was a commander in the pre-1969 Libyan army. Sir Abdul Aziz was a graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst entering as a cadet in 1955. Upon his return to Libya, he entered the Royal Army in which he served for fifteen years until the Coup of 1969. As Commander of the Royal Army he was arrested in the first days after Qaddafi seizing power and imprisoned for four and a half years.

Foiled Assassination of King Hussein of Jordan and Political Asylum

Upon the release of Sir Abdul Aziz Shennib in 1974 he was appointed by

Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, . Due to the lack of standardization of transcribing written and regionally pronounced Arabic, Gaddafi's name has been romanized in various ways. A 1986 column by ''The Straight Dope'' lists 32 spellin ...

as ambassador to Jordan. The surprising appointment was "no gesture of reconciliation with the old regime". As Sir Abdul-Aziz had been at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst with King

Hussein of Jordan Hussein bin Talal ( ar, الحسين بن طلال, ''Al-Ḥusayn ibn Ṭalāl''; 14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 11 August 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of ...

, he was strategically appointed by Gaddafi with express orders to assassinate his former classmate and close friend shortly after his arrival in Jordan. Sir Abdul Aziz accepted the appointment. However, upon Sir Shennib's arrival in Amman, he immediately informed King Hussein of Jordan of the plot against his life, defected from the Libyan regime, announcing his refusal to carry out the assassination. Sir Abdul Aziz Shennib and his immediate family were thereafter placed under the protection of the Jordanian monarchy as recompense for his loyalty and friendship. Under the protection of King Hussein, Sir Abdul Aziz joined the

National Front for the Salvation of Libya The National Front for the Salvation of Libya (NFSL) was a political opposition group active during the rule of the Gaddafi regime in Libya. It was formed in 1981 and called for major liberalising reforms such as democratic elections, a free p ...

, an expatriate Libyan opposition to Gaddafi. Later, at a press conference in Cairo, Sir Abdul Aziz Shennib revealed that Gaddafi had ordered the murder of Lebanese cleric

Musa al-Sadr Musa Sadr al-Din al-Sadr ( ar, موسى صدر الدين الصدر; 4 June 1928 – disappeared 31 August 1978) was an Iranian-born Lebanese scholar and political leader who founded the Amal Movement. Born in the Chaharmardan neighborhood o ...

, whose disappearance in August 1978 had, until his revelation, been the subject of speculation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shennib, Abdul-Aziz Living people Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Libyan diplomats People from Derna, Libya Ambassadors of Libya to Jordan 1936 births