Palestine leader George Habash dies of heart attack
Sunday, 27 Jan 2008 11:48
The radical leader has died of a heart attack
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Palestinian leader and founder of the radical Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine (PFLP) George Habash has died at the age of 80.
The politician who founded the group, which conducted numerous plane hijackings and terrorist plots, suffered a heart attack in a hospital in Jordan, according to Al Jazeera television.
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has announced a three-day period of mourning over the death of the radical leader.
Mr Habash's wife Hilda told the Reuters news agency: "We will all carry the banner of Habash and the Arab nation he dearly cherished. Habash always believed Palestine would be liberated.
"He lived for his people and died for his people," she added.
Mr Habash, who was a stern critic of the peace process and of former leader Yasser Arafat, was against the existence of
Israel and founded the Marxist-Leninist PFLP to fight against the Jewish state.
The group became notorious for hijacking flights and in 1970 they destroyed four Western airlines after removing passengers from the planes. His group was also behind the seizure of an Air France flight, with Jewish passengers on board, that led to a raid by Israeli paratroopers in Uganda to free passengers held hostage.
Mr Habash stepped down as leader of the group in 2000.