Hassan Abu Basha

Hassan Abu Basha (; 2 December 1922 – 18 September 2005) was a major general and one of the former ministers of interior of Egypt who was in office for two years from January 1982 to July 1984.

Early life and education Abu Basha was born in Cairo on 2 December 1922. He graduated from the police academy in 1945. He served as deputy minister of Interior when Nabawi Ismail was in office under President Anwar Sadat. As assistant minister, he organized operations against fundamentalists and arrested them at the end of the 1970s. He also led such operations following the assassination of Anwar Sadat in October 1981.

Abu Basha was appointed interior minister in January 1982 by President Hosni Mobarak, replacing Nabawi Ismail in the post. Abu Basha preferred dialogue instead of coercion to deal with social and political problems. and was in office until 1986.

Assassination attempt On 5 May 1987, Abu Basha survived an assassination attempt perpetrated by the Islamist militants, including Ayman Zawahiri's brother Hussein Zawahiri. and unknown gunmen seriously injured Abu Basha. Abu Basha underwent surgery following the attack.

The terrorist group Survivors of Hell claimed the responsibility of the attack. Hussein Zawahiri was convicted for his alleged role in the assassination attempt. Yasser Borhamy was also detained for a month due to his alleged connection with the assassination attempt against Abu Basha.

Personal life and death Abu Basha was married and had three children, a son and two daughters. He died at the age of 82 in Cairo on 18 September 2005.

Books Abu Basha published his memoirs in a book entitled Mudhukrat Hasan Abu Basha (Arabic: Memoirs of Hasan Abu Basha) in 1990.

Awards Abu Basha was the recipient of the Republic second class medal in 1973 and the second class merit medal in 1979.