Gadaffi plotted King’s death

Press, 16 December 1985, Page 6

Gadaffi plotted King’s death

NZPA-Reuter London The Syrian President, Mr Hafez Assad, once rejected a request from the Libyan leader, Colonel Muammar Gadaffi, to join a plot to kill King Hussein of Jordan by shooting down his plane, “The Sunday Times” reports. The London newspaper said that details of Syria’s role in a Libyan plot in 1982 had been revealed by Colonel Aziz Shenib, Libya’s then Ambassador to Jordan. Colonel Shenib, who defected from Libya and now lives in Cairo, said that Colonel Gadaffi had told him King Hussein should be liquidated because he was “pro-Western and not the

right leader for Jordan.” Colonel 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. Colonel Gadaffi had suggested setting up two units of Syrian commandos, one at the Jordanian port of Aqaba, where King Hussein has a villa, and the other near Amman’s international airport, to shoot down the aircraft Mr Assad had rejected the plan, saying it was stupid and childish, “The Sunday Times” said. Colonel Shenib defected a few days later and the plan was aborted, it said.