Abdul Halim Moussa ( ar, عبد الحليم موسى; c. 1930 – 2003) was an Egyptian police major general and interior minister who was in office from 1990 to 1993.

Early life and education

Moussa was born around 1930. He graduated from the police academy in 1954.

Career and activities

Moussa served as a director of public security and held the rank of police

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

. He was named governor of the southern province of

Asyut AsyutAlso spelled ''Assiout'' or ''Assiut'' ( ar, أسيوط ' , from ' ) is the capital of the modern Asyut Governorate in Egypt. It was built close to the ancient city of the same name, which is situated nearby. The modern city is located at ...

. He was appointed minister of interior by President

Hosni Mubarak Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak, (; 4 May 1928 – 25 February 2020) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the fourth president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011. Before he entered politics, Mubarak was a career officer in ...

in January 1990, replacing Zaki Badr in the post. Moussa's appointment was commonly welcomed by the Egyptian public. Unlike his successor, he adopted a conciliatory approach toward Islamic groups during his term. In December 1992, Moussa argued that there were more than 2,000 members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards in Sudan and that they were training Egyptian extremists in the camps. In early April 1993 he supported the establishment of a mediation committee by the independent ulemas who opposed the violent activities of the Islamists. Moussa's term lasted until 18 April 1993 when he was fired by Mubarak due to his failure in ending the violence perpetrated by Islamic insurgents and due to his endorsement of the ulemas' mediation committee plan. The day before his dismissal Moussa stated that a dialogue had been opened towards the Islamic militants. Hassan Al Alfi replaced Moussa as interior minister.

Assassination attempts

Moussa escaped unhurt after four assassination attempts all by the

Egyptian Islamic Jihad The Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ, ar, الجهاد الإسلامي المصري), formerly called simply Islamic Jihad ( ar, الجهاد الإسلامي, links=no) and the Liberation Army for Holy Sites, originally referred to as al-Jihad, and ...

when he was in office as interior minister. The first attempt was in October 1990. However, not Moussa but the parliamentary speaker Rif'at al-Mahjub was killed in the attack. In the last attempt, Moussa's driver, who was a relative of the group, was killed and perpetrators apologized to the family of the driver.

Controversy

Zaki Badr, Moussa's successor as interior minister, accused him of corruption and wrongdoing in January 1994.

Death

Moussa was diagnosed with cancer in 2002. He died of cancer at the age of 73 in Cairo on 19 July 2003.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moussa, Abdul Halim 20th-century Egyptian politicians 1930s births 2003 deaths Deaths from cancer in Egypt Egyptian generals Governors of Asyut Interior Ministers of Egypt Major generals Survivors of terrorist attacks Politicians from Cairo