Assad Reportedly Rejected Kadafi Plot to Murder Hussein
Syrian President Hafez Assad once turned down a request from Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi to join a plot to kill King Hussein of Jordan by shooting down his plane, the Sunday Times of London reported.
The paper said Saturday that details of Syria’s involvement in a Libyan plot in 1982 were revealed by Col. Aziz Shenib, Libya’s ambassador to Jordan at the time.
According to the article, Shenib, who defected from Libya and now lives in Cairo, said Kadafi told him that Hussein should be liquidated since he is “pro-Western and not the right leader for Jordan.”
Shenib was told to contact Syria’s foreign minister and arrange for the delivery of ground-to-air missiles to shoot down the king’s plane, the paper said. However, Assad turned down the plan, describing it as stupid and childish, the article said.
Shenib defected a few days later, and the plan was aborted, the paper said.
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