Afif Ahmed Hamid (d. 5 September 1972) was a Palestinian terrorist and one of eight Black September members that invaded the Israeli quarters at the Munich Olympic Village during the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, taking hostage nine members of the Israeli Olympic delegation after killing Israeli wrestling coach Moshe Weinberg and weightlifter Yossef Romano in the initial takeover.

Early life

edit

Hamid grew up in the Chatila refugee camp, in Lebanon. He joined Fatah in 1968 and spent a year studying in Germany before returning to Lebanon in 1971.[1]

Preparation for the attack

edit

Hamid told his mother that he was going back to Germany to study for approximately two and a half months.[2]

Death at Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base

edit

Upon arriving in one of two helicopters carrying the captive Israeli athletes at Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base, a firefight ensued with five German police sharpshooters positioned around the airfield, and Hamid was killed in its initial stages. In photographs taken after the event, he can be seen lying facedown on the tarmac in a pool of blood.

Aftermath

edit

The bodies of Hamid and his comrades were handed over to the government of Libya. After a procession of 30,000 people from Tripoli's Martyrs' Square, they were buried at the Sidi Munaidess Cemetery.[3]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Reeve, Simon (2000). One Day in September: The Full Story of the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre and the Israeli Revenge Operation "Wrath of God" (1st U.S. ed.). New York: Arcade. p. 42. ISBN 1559705477.
  2. ^ Reeve, Simon (2000). One Day in September: The Full Story of the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre and the Israeli Revenge Operation "Wrath of God" (1st U.S. ed.). New York: Arcade. p. 43. ISBN 1559705477.
  3. ^ Reeve, Simon (2000). One Day in September: The Full Story of the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre and the Israeli Revenge Operation "Wrath of God" (1st U.S. ed.). New York: Arcade. p. 147. ISBN 1559705477.