A wealthy 63-year-old Egyptian expatriate and possible Israeli agent, Ashraf Marwan, fell to his death from a fifth-floor apartment in London on Wednesday. He was an adviser and assistant to his father-in-law, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel-Nasser, as well as to Nasser's successor, Anwar Sadat. However, Marwan was also widely assumed to have been in the service of the Israeli intelligence services before and during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
An initial investigation into the death indicates that Marwan committed suicide by jumping from the balcony of his St. James Park apartment, although officially the police have labeled the incident "unexplained" for the time being. Arabic media reported that associates who met with him shortly before his death described Marwan as "depressed" and burdened. In addition, Israel's Yediot Acharonot newspaper reported that an Israeli historian in London received several unexpected phone calls from the Egyptian businessman the day before he died. In their conversation, according to the historian, Marwan, who was a successful billionaire, complained of "headaches" due to media reports about him.
Major General Eli Zeira identified Marwan as a double-agent.
In 1993, the head of IDF intelligence during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Major General Eli Zeira, identified Marwan as a double-agent who misled Israel about Egyptian intentions preceding the outbreak of the war. Zeira was removed from his position due to the failure of the army intelligence corps to accurately foresee the outbreak of the 1973 war. Tzvi Zamir, who was chief of the Mossad intelligence agency at the time, accused Zeira of making Marwan's identity public in an attempt to cover up Zeira's own failures.
After the Yom Kippur War, Egyptian President Sadat singled out Marwan for his contributions to the war effort. Later, Marwan became the head of government-owned military industrial operations in Egypt. In 1982, Marwan moved to England and proceeded to quickly make his mark as a private businessman.
An initial investigation into the death indicates that Marwan committed suicide by jumping from the balcony of his St. James Park apartment, although officially the police have labeled the incident "unexplained" for the time being. Arabic media reported that associates who met with him shortly before his death described Marwan as "depressed" and burdened. In addition, Israel's Yediot Acharonot newspaper reported that an Israeli historian in London received several unexpected phone calls from the Egyptian businessman the day before he died. In their conversation, according to the historian, Marwan, who was a successful billionaire, complained of "headaches" due to media reports about him.
Major General Eli Zeira identified Marwan as a double-agent.
In 1993, the head of IDF intelligence during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Major General Eli Zeira, identified Marwan as a double-agent who misled Israel about Egyptian intentions preceding the outbreak of the war. Zeira was removed from his position due to the failure of the army intelligence corps to accurately foresee the outbreak of the 1973 war. Tzvi Zamir, who was chief of the Mossad intelligence agency at the time, accused Zeira of making Marwan's identity public in an attempt to cover up Zeira's own failures.
After the Yom Kippur War, Egyptian President Sadat singled out Marwan for his contributions to the war effort. Later, Marwan became the head of government-owned military industrial operations in Egypt. In 1982, Marwan moved to England and proceeded to quickly make his mark as a private businessman.