Adnan Awad
Encyclopedia
Adnan Awad was a Captain in the Palestinian Liberation Army
who joined the 15 May Organization
and prepared to bomb the Noga Hilton
hotel in Geneva, Switzerland on August 31, 1982, but instead fled the scene and later turned himself into the American embassy and claimed he wanted to renounce any terrorist connections.
, Adnan had an older sister. The family moved to Kiswe, Syria
and Awad attended Alliance High School in Damascus.
en route to Honolulu. Twenty days later, Awad turned himself over to the American Embassy in Saudi Arabia and claimed that he had been pressured into joining the group.
.
In 1991 he co-operated with author Steven Emerson
, who wrote about Awad's life in the book "Terrorist".
Palestinian Liberation Army
The Palestine Liberation Army was ostensibly set up as the military wing of the Palestine Liberation Organization at the 1964 Arab League summit , with the mission of fighting Israel...
who joined the 15 May Organization
15 May Organization
Founded in 1979, the 15 May Organization or Abu Ibrahim Faction was a minor breakout faction from Wadie Haddad's Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - External Operations .-History:...
and prepared to bomb the Noga Hilton
Noga Hilton
The JW Marriott Cannes is a famous five star hotel on the Croisettein Cannes. It was built in 1992 as the Noga Hilton by the Genevan hotel empire owner Nessim Gaon, and was renamed the Palais Stéphanie in 2007 when it passed from the Hilton group to Accor). It was renamed again in 2011, becoming...
hotel in Geneva, Switzerland on August 31, 1982, but instead fled the scene and later turned himself into the American embassy and claimed he wanted to renounce any terrorist connections.
Early life
Born to a shopkeeper and his wife Widad in IjzimIjzim
Ijzim was a Palestinian village located in the Haifa district of British Mandate Palestine, 19.5 kilometers south of the city, that was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war...
, Adnan had an older sister. The family moved to Kiswe, Syria
Kiswe, Syria
Kiswe is a small city in Syria, located approximately south of Damascus. It was the location of the 1303 Battle of Marj al-Saffar, and the childhood home of Adnan Awad.-Links:* *...
and Awad attended Alliance High School in Damascus.
The August 1982 bombing attempt
On August 11, 1982, Mohammed Rashid unsuccessfully tried to bomb Pan Am Flight 830Pan Am Flight 830
Pan Am Flight 830 was a Boeing 747-121, named "Clipper Ocean Rover", flying from Narita International Airport in Tokyo to Honolulu International Airport in Hawaii on August 11, 1982....
en route to Honolulu. Twenty days later, Awad turned himself over to the American Embassy in Saudi Arabia and claimed that he had been pressured into joining the group.
Aftermath
He was turned over to the Swiss, but later returned to the United States to help secure indictment against the 15 May leadership. With his aid, American intelligence agencies determined that it was the 15 May Organization that had constructed the bomb aboard Pan Am Flight 830Pan Am Flight 830
Pan Am Flight 830 was a Boeing 747-121, named "Clipper Ocean Rover", flying from Narita International Airport in Tokyo to Honolulu International Airport in Hawaii on August 11, 1982....
.
In 1991 he co-operated with author Steven Emerson
Steven Emerson
Steven Emerson, is an American journalist and author, who writes about national security, terrorism, and Islamic extremism.Emerson is the author of six books, and co-author of two more. His television documentary Jihad in America won the 1994 George Polk Award for best Television Documentary, and...
, who wrote about Awad's life in the book "Terrorist".