Yusuf Nazzal

Yusuf Nazzal (1937 – 6 September 1972) (code-name 'Tony') was the second in command of eight members of the Palestinian terrorist group Black September that invaded 31 Connollystraße in the Munich Olympic Village on 5 September 1972, and taking nine members of the Israeli Olympic team hostage after two members, weightlifter Yossef Romano and wrestling coach Moshe Weinberg, were killed in the initial takeover. Television images broadcast to the billions of people watching around the world show Nazzal frequently throughout the crisis, seemingly always smoking, wearing sunglasses, open neck red shirt and a cowboy hat, which led him to be identified as the 'Cowboy'.[1] According to author Serge Groussard, Nazzal "liked to be called Guevara".[2]

Early life

According to Abu Daoud, Nazzal was a young officer in the Al-'Asifah, the armed wing of Fatah, who towards the end of 1971 had been based in Nabatieh, Southern Lebanon, where he was involved in conducting operations across the border in Israel.[3] Nazzal had fought in Amman in 1970 after Jordan's expulsion of the PLO, and in the battles of Jerash and Ajlun in July 1971.[4] Described by Daoud as a "very good fighter", Nazzal had purportedly begged Abu Iyad to "organize something, somewhere" in retaliation against Israel after deadly Israeli air raids in Southern Lebanon.[5] He moved to West Germany to study.[6] According to Simon Reeve, Nazzal worked for a Munich oil company.[7]

Munich massacre

Days before the attack

Nazzal is reported to have flown to Libya on the 11th or 12th of August for "intensive training" in preparation for the attack on the Israeli quarters.[8] In the weeks prior to the attack, Nazzal, the leader of the attack Luttif Afif and Abu Daoud carried out reconnaissance of the Olympic Village by pretending to be Brazilian tourists, managing to gain access to the Olympic village, after Daoud had struck up a rapport with a guard stationed at one of the entrances, during previous visits to the Village.[9] Abu Daoud claims that on this visit, Nazzal, Afif and himself, were able to get inside 31 Connollystraße after being accompanied by an unsuspecting Israeli female, which resulted in them attaining crucial information such as the layout of the building, how many athletes were in each apartment, and where they slept.[10] Simon Reeve states that both Nazzal and Afif were able to gain temporary employment in the Olympic Village with Nazzal working as a cook.[11] Afif and Nazzal would sit playing chess and observing the coming and goings of athletes in and around 31 Connollystraße in preparation for the attack on the Israeli quarters.[12] Nazzal was found inside 31 Connollystraße apartments at 8:00am on the day prior to the attack, by Uruguayan official Luis Friedman. Reportedly, Nazzal shyly told Friedman, in English, that someone in the building occasionally gave him fruit, Friedman gave him all the fruit he could carry.[13]

The hostage crisis

Whilst Afif was designated the leader, Nazzal would at times accompany him in deliberations with the German delegates in front of 31 Connollystraße. Whenever outside of the building, Nazzal was always armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle and a revolver in the waistband of his trousers. More often though, Nazzal could be seen at the window of the first floor apartment window, continuously smoking.

Fürstenfeldbruck

Upon landing at Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base, Afif and Nazzal each left their Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopters and walked slowly over to inspect the Lufthansa Boeing 727, parked just 150 metres away on the tarmac apron.[14] Whilst Nazzal waited outside, Afif went inside to check the plane.[15] Finding it empty, they immediately suspected a trap and jogged back towards the helicopters shouting warnings to the six fellow fedayeen guarding the two helicopters containing the Israeli athletes.[16] As they ran, the area lit up and police commander George Wolf, lying next to the three marksmen on the roof of the control tower, instructed the marksmen to open fire.[17] Two shots rang out from two of the three police marksmen on the tower, hitting two terrorists guarding the helicopters, Ahmed Chic Thaa and Afif Ahmed Hamid both fell to the ground, though only one was killed outright.[18] A third marksmen moved around a corner pillar on the tower in order to keep both Afif and Nazzal in sight as they were still running back to the helicopters. His first shot hit the tarmac near Issa (Luttif Afif) who steadied himself and managed to make it back to the safety of the helicopters by zigzagging across the tarmac. The marksmen's second shot hit Nazzal in the leg, making him collapse on the tarmac.[19] One of his fellow fedayeen, eighteen year old Jamal Al-Gashey, managed to crawl over to Nazzal during firefight and was shot through the wrist which according to Al-Gashey made his weapon "fly out of my hand."[20]

Despite being wounded in the opening exchange of gunfire at Fürstenfeldbruck and after a two-hour exchange with the German marksmen, Nazzal managed to escape across the airfield to a parking lot pursued by police, dogs and West German border guards. Nazzal managed to elude police for another hour before being cornered and shot dead around 1:30 am, though not before shooting a West German border guard in the neck.[21]

Aftermath of Munich

The bodies of Nazzal and his four compatriots were handed over to Libya and after a procession of 30,000 people from Tripoli's Martyrs' Square, were buried in the Sidi Munaidess Cemetery. .[22]

Nazzal has been portrayed by the actors Djamchid "Jim" Soheili in the 1976 television film 21 Hours at Munich and Merik Tadros in Steven Spielberg's 2005 film Munich.

See also

References
  1. Reeve, Simon (2005). One day in September : the story of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre and Israeli revenge operation 'Wrath of God' (2005 ed.). London: Faber. p. 19. ISBN 0571231810.
  2. Salemson, Serge Groussard ; translated from the French by Harold J. (1975). The blood of Israel : the massacre of the Israeli athletes, the Olympics, 1972 (1975 ed.). New York: Morrow. p. 19. ISBN 0688029108.
  3. Daoud, Abou (1999). Palestine : de Jérusalem à Munich. Paris: Carrière. p. 593. ISBN 9782843370854.
  4. Reeve, Simon (2005). One day in September : the story of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre and Israeli revenge operation 'Wrath of God' (2005 ed.). London: Faber. p. 48. ISBN 0571231810.
  5. Daoud, Abou (1999). Palestine : de Jérusalem à Munich. Paris: Carrière. p. 620. ISBN 9782843370854.
  6. Large, David Clay (2012). Munich 1972: Tragedy, Terror, and Triumph at the Olympic Games. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7425-6741-2.
  7. Reeve, Simon (2005). One day in September : the story of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre and Israeli revenge operation 'Wrath of God' (2005 ed.). London: Faber. p. 3. ISBN 0571231810.
  8. Daoud, Abou (1999). Palestine : de Jérusalem à Munich. Paris: Carrière. p. 596. ISBN 9782843370854.
  9. Daoud, Abou (1999). Palestine : de Jérusalem à Munich. Paris: Carrière. p. 612. ISBN 9782843370854.
  10. Daoud, Abou (1999). Palestine : de Jérusalem à Munich. Paris: Carrière. p. 613. ISBN 9782843370854.
  11. Reeve, Simon (2005). One day in September : the story of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre and Israeli revenge operation 'Wrath of God' (2005 ed.). London: Faber. p. 3. ISBN 0571231810.
  12. Reeve, Simon (2005). One day in September : the story of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre and Israeli revenge operation 'Wrath of God' (2005 ed.). London: Faber. p. 3. ISBN 0571231810.
  13. Reeve, Simon (2005). One day in September : the story of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre and Israeli revenge operation 'Wrath of God' (2005 ed.). London: Faber. p. 3. ISBN 0571231810.
  14. Reeve, Simon (2005). One day in September : the story of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre and Israeli revenge operation 'Wrath of God'. London: Faber. p. 132. ISBN 0571231810.
  15. Reeve, Simon (2005). One day in September : the story of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre and Israeli revenge operation 'Wrath of God' (2005 ed.). London: Faber. p. 319. ISBN 0571231810.
  16. Reeve, Simon (2005). One day in September : the story of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre and Israeli revenge operation 'Wrath of God' (2005 ed.). London: Faber. p. 133. ISBN 9780571231812.
  17. Reeve, Simon (2005). One day in September : the story of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre and Israeli revenge operation 'Wrath of God'. London: Faber. p. 133. ISBN 0571231810.
  18. Reeve, Simon (2005). One day in September : the story of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre and Israeli revenge operation 'Wrath of God' (2005 ed.). London: Faber. p. 133. ISBN 0571231810.
  19. Reeve, Simon (2005). One day in September : the story of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre and Israeli revenge operation 'Wrath of God' (2005 ed.). London: Faber. p. 134. ISBN 0571231810.
  20. Reeve, Simon (2005). One day in September : the story of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre and Israeli revenge operation 'Wrath of God'. London: Faber. p. 135. ISBN 0571231810.
  21. Jonas, George (2005). Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-terrorist Team (1st Simon & Schuster pbk. ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks. ISBN 978-0743291644.
  22. Reeve, Simon (2005). One day in September : the story of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre and Israeli revenge operation 'Wrath of God' (2005 ed.). London: Faber. p. 174. ISBN 0571231810.
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