Guardsmen of Islam
Aliases: Islamic Organization for the Liberation of Qods (suspected)
Base of Operation: Germany; Iran
Founding Philosophy: The Guardsmen of Islam first emerged in 1980, after a failed assassination attempt on Shahpur Bakhtiar, the former Iranian Prime Minister under the Shah’s regime. Although the gunmen carried Lebanese and Syrian passports and identified themselves as Palestinians, the previously unknown Guardsmen of Islam announced from Iran that Bakhtiar had been “condemned to death.” The Iranian government was widely suspected to have been behind the attempt on the anti-Ayatollah dissident, but the Iranian Foreign Minister quickly denounced the attack. This prompted an angry public statement from the Guardsmen asking, “Why do you denounce our action instead of praising it? Why do you attack us?” Five suspects in the Bakhtiar attack were eventually apprehended in France, and in 1982 they were sentenced to life in prison. The men, two Iranians, two Lebanese, and a Palestinian, did not say they were members of the Guardsmen of Islam.
In July 1984, three men hijacked an Air France jet on its way from Frankfurt to Paris, and forced the plane to Iran. The hijackers, who identified themselves as the Islamic Organization for the Liberation of Qods (Jerusalem), demanded that the five men jailed for the Bakhtiar assassination be released. At the same time, the Guardsmen of Islam claimed responsibility for the hijacking in a statement published in Iran. After a tense standoff and negotiations with the Iranian government, the hijackers released the hostages and surrendered to authorities. Although the background of the hijackers was never made clear, there was widespread media speculation in France that the men were aided by the Iranian government. The hijackers disappeared into exile in Iran shortly after their surrender. It is unknown how, if at all, the Islamic Organization for the Liberation of Qods was connected to the Guardsmen of Islam.
Although the Guardsmen could not be directly tied to either incident, it seems likely that, at the very least, the organization served as the public relations wing for those militants implicated in the assassination attempt and the hijacking. From their target choice and language, the Guardsmen were almost certainly a pro-Ayatollah religious organization, with possible ties to the Iranian government.
Current Goals: In 1991, Shahpur Bakhtiar was assassinated by Iranian agents. The Guardsmen of Islam did not claim responsibility for the killing, and had most likely deactivated after the 1984 hijacking. There is no reason to believe that the Guardsmen of Islam will be responsible for further terrorist attacks.
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