Yahya El Mashad

Yahya El Mashad (; 1932 – 14 June 1980) was an Egyptian nuclear scientist who headed the Iraqi nuclear program. He was killed in a Paris hotel room in June 1980, in an operation generally attributed to the Mossad.

Early life and education El Mashad was born in Benha, Egypt in 1932. He was educated in Tanta and graduated from the Electrical Engineering Department in the Faculty of Engineering at Alexandria University in 1952. and supervised Iraq's nuclear co-operation agreement with France. In 1980, he refused to receive a uranium shipment as it did not meet the agreed specifications, after which the French insisted on his presence in Paris to receive the shipment. Weeks later, a Parisian sex worker, alleged to have a connection to Mashad's death, was killed by a hit-and-run automobile. French authorities suspected the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, but had no proof. Israel issued statements immediately after El Mashad's death, claiming that the Iraqi nuclear program had been set back, but denied involvement.