Assassination of Abdullah I of Jordan

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On 20 July 1951, King Abdullah I of Jordan was assassinated while visiting the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Abdullah was in Jerusalem to give a eulogy at the funeral of Prime Minister Riad Al Solh of Lebanon. He was attending Friday prayers at the mosque with his grandson Prince Hussein. Abdullah was fatally shot three times in the head and chest. The assassin, 21-year-old Mustafa Shukri Ashu, was shot dead by Abdullah's bodyguards. Ten men were accused of plotting the murder; eight faced trial, and six were sentenced for their role in the crime. The assassination led to a succession crisis due to the mental illness of his son and successor, Talal. The event marked the fourth major assassination in the Middle East in 1951, following the deaths of Riad Al Solh, Iranian Prime Minister Ali Razmara, and Iranian Education Minister Abdul Hamid Zangeneh. The killings were a sign of increased instability in the region.

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