Born in May 1937 (Jaffa, Palestine)

Died on August 16, 2002 (Baghdad, Iraq)

Terrorist

Long before Osama bin Laden (1957–; see entry) became the world's most feared terrorist, Palestinian Abu Nidal used bombings, shootings, and kidnappings to try to urge governments in the Middle East and around the world to accept his radical policies for promoting Palestinian independence. Ironically, his brutal actions tended to discredit the Palestinians' push for independence and derail their efforts to gain international sympathy. Abu Nidal was convinced that the only way to establish a home for Palestinians was to eliminate Israel. He built a terrorist organization dedicated to combating anyone who showed sympathy for Israel, a position that put him at odds with much of the world. He even committed terrorist acts against the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the group recognized as...