Amin al-Hindi
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Rawhi Fattouh (acting)
Mahmoud Abbas
Amin al-Hindi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 1st Director of the General Intelligence Service | |
| In office 1994 – April 2005 | |
| President | Yasser Arafat Rawhi Fattouh (acting) Mahmoud Abbas |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Ahmed Shenoura [ar] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1941-01-09)9 January 1941 |
| Died | 17 August 2010(2010-08-17) (aged 69) |
| Occupation | Intelligence Chief of the Palestinian Authority |
Amin al-Hindi (9 January 1941 – 17 August 2010) was a Palestinian politician who served as the intelligence chief of the Palestinian Authority. He was a leader of the Black September militant movement and was suspected of involvement in the Munich massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics that resulted in the deaths of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches.
Hindi was born in Gaza City on 9 January 1941 and was actively involved with Yasser Arafat in the Fatah movement that Arafat founded in 1959.[1]
Career
In its obituary, The New York Times described Hindi as one of the organizers of the Black September attack in Munich, in which 11 athletes and coaches who were members of the Israeli Olympic team at the 1972 Summer Games were taken hostage and murdered in team dormitories on the morning of September 5, 1972, though Hindi never acknowledged his involvement in the attack. Israeli security forces carried out a series of targeted killings of individuals believed to have been involved with the massacre; following the death of Abu Daoud, the Palestinian militant known as the planner, architect and mastermind of the Munich massacre, Hindi is thought to have been the last surviving individual who was connected to the killings.[1][2][3]
Israel permitted him to return from exile in the 1990s following the Oslo Accords. He became a senior official in the Palestinian Authority and served as Director of the General Intelligence Service.[1] In talks following the signing of the Oslo I Accord held in October 1993 in Taba, Egypt, al-Hindi, described as "the most sensitive delegate", was excluded from participating based on his involvement in the 1972 Olympics massacre; a spokesman from the Israeli Foreign Ministry stated "... the fact that we look to the future does not mean we have lost our sensibilities. Munich was a real trauma."[4][5]
After calling for an intifada against Yasser Arafat, Hamas was blamed for instigating protests in August 1996 in the West Bank against the Palestinian Authority, with al-Hindi stating that "We have put our hands on messages from abroad instructing people inside the territories to stage riots...."[6]
He headed the intelligence service until April 2005, when he was appointed to a cabinet level position as a special adviser to president Mahmoud Abbas.[7] In that role he had frequent contact with Israeli military and security forces.[1]
Death
The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that al-Hindi had died at age 69 on 17 August 2010, in Amman, Jordan, due to liver and pancreatic cancer. His body was transported from Jordan to the West Bank where ceremonies honoring him were held at the presidential headquarters of Mahmoud Abbas. His body was then transferred through Israel for burial in Gaza.[8] His Gaza funeral was attended by members of the Fatah Central Committee and the Fatah Revolutionary Council. A procession traveled from his home in the Al-Rimal neighborhood to the Katiba Mosque.[2]
References
- 1 2 3 4 Kershner, Isabel. "Amin al-Hindi, Former Palestinian Intelligence Chief, Dies at 70", The New York Times, August 18, 2010. Accessed August 19, 2010.
- 1 2 Staff. "Last Palestinian tied to 1972 Munich attack dies", Agence France-Presse, August 18, 2010. Accessed January 26, 2026. "Hindi was the last living Palestinian who was linked to the Munich attacks following the death last month of Abu Daoud, who planned the deadly Munich attack."
- ↑ Staff. "Former PA intelligence commander dies at 70" Archived 2012-09-16 at the Wayback Machine, Ma'an News Agency, August 18, 2010. Accessed August 19, 2010.
- ↑ La Guardia, Anton. "Talks 'ban' on Munich massacre man", Daily Telegraph, October 14, 1993. Accessed February 16, 2026, via Newspapers.com. "A senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation was banned yesterday from negotiations on Palestinian self-rule, apparently because of Israeli protests that he was involved in the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Palestinian and Israeli officials confirmed that Amin al-Hindi, PLO head of national security, had not been allowed to join the opening session in Taba, Egypt."
- ↑ Haberman, Clyde. "Israelis and the P.L.O. Meet: Peace Is in the Details", The New York Times, October 14, 1993. Accessed February 16, 2026. "The most sensitive delegate was Amin al-Hindi, a P.L.O. security chief who was described by an Israeli newspaper today as having helped organize the 1972 attack in which 11 Israeli athletes were killed at the Summer Olympics in Munich. While Mr. Hindi's role in the raid, if any, was not clear, an Israeli official said the Palestinian was suspected of having had a hand in it. It was not clear if the Israelis openly disapproved of Mr. Hindi or whether the Palestinians quietly agreed to drop him."
- ↑ Greenberg, Joel. "West Bank Arabs Complain of New Oppressor, Their Own", The New York Times, August 5, 1996. Accessed February 16, 2026. "Reacting to the violence in Tulkarm, Hamas issued a leaflet calling for another 'intifada,' or uprising, this time against Mr. Arafat.... The authority accuses Hamas of trying to undermine its rule, asserting that armed militants whipped up the crowd and fired the fatal shots in Tulkarm. 'We have put our hands on messages from abroad instructing people inside the territories to stage riots and also some leaflets calling on people to take action against the Palestinian Authority,' said Amin al-Hindi, chief of Palestinian intelligence."
- ↑ "Palestinian leader reshuffles security chiefs", ABC News, April 23, 2005. Accessed February 16, 2026. "General Amin al-Hindi, outgoing head of general intelligence in the occupied territories, also wins cabinet rank as a special adviser to Dr Abbas. He is replaced by General Tarek Abu Rajab."
- ↑ Staff. "Munich Massacre Terrorist - Amin Al-Hindi, Dies", Arutz Sheva, August 18, 2010. Accessed August 19, 2010.
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| New office | Director of the General Intelligence Service 1994–2005 |
Succeeded by |