Tal'at Fu'ad Qasim (also spelled Qassim, ar, طلعت فؤاد قاسم; born 1957?), also known as Abu Talal al-Qasimi ( ar, أبو طلال القاسمي) (possibly executed in 1995), was the leader of Egypt's militant al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya (Gama'a Islamiyya) organization until he obtained

political asylum The right of asylum (sometimes called right of political asylum; ) is an ancient juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereign authority, like a second country or another entit ...

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. He was executed in secret in 1995, following the first modern "

extraordinary rendition Extraordinary rendition is a euphemism for state-sponsored forcible abduction in another jurisdiction and transfer to a third state. The phrase usually refers to a United States-led program used during the War on Terror, which had the purpos ...

" at the hands of U.S. authorities.

Background

Qasim got his start in the Gama'a Islamiyya in the late 1970s, when he was head of the Student Union at

Minya University Minia University (also spelled Minia) was established in Minia, in 1976 by virtue of Republican Decree No. (93), separating it from Assiut University. The campus is north of Minia. Its emblem is Nefertiti Bust. University logo The image of Qu ...

in Upper Egypt; according to some sources, he was the immediate superior in the organization of

Anwar Sadat Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat, (25 December 1918 – 6 October 1981) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the third president of Egypt, from 15 October 1970 until his assassination by fundamentalist army officers on 6 ...

's killer, Khalid Islambouli. He was arrested and imprisoned following the assassination, escaping after serving eight years in prison. He then joined the

jihad Jihad (; ar, جهاد, jihād ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with G ...

against the Soviets in Afghanistan (actually operating from

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

); 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 of

terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

violence against civilians.

Capture and aftermath

In September 1995, he was kidnapped in

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during a trip to war-torn

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and Pars pro toto#Geography, often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of Southern Europe, south and southeast Euro ...

. His capture was orchestrated by U.S. authorities, who had concluded that he posed a threat to U.S. interests. After questioning aboard a U.S. Navy vessel, he was handed over to Egyptian authorities in international waters. Mayer, Jane, '' The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned Into a War on American Ideals'', 2008. p. 33 Qasim, who had been tried and convicted ''

in absentia is Latin for absence. , a legal term, is Latin for "in the absence" or "while absent". may also refer to: * Award in absentia * Declared death in absentia, or simply, death in absentia, legally declared death without a body * Election in ab ...

'' by a military tribunal in 1992, was then apparently executed by the Egyptian government, allegedly after torture. The Egyptian government refused to acknowledge the detention and execution. According to

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human ...

, Qasim's was the first case of "extraordinary rendition"; predating by six years the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. In 2017, Qasim was removed from the US sanctions list twenty-two years after his death.

References

1950s births 1990s deaths 20th-century executions by Egypt Egyptian military leaders Enforced disappearances in Egypt Fugitives Kidnapped people Minya University alumni Leaders of Islamic terror groups Terrorism in Egypt Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain

External links

Black Hole Islamists
{{Militant Islamism in the Middle East