Democratic Revolutionary Front for the Liberation of Arabistan

Democratic Revolutionary Front for the Liberation of Arabistan
Leader(s) Oan Ali Mohammed
Dates of operation 1979–1980
Motives Armed resistance
Active region(s) Khuzestan
Ideology Arab nationalism
Notable attacks 1979 Khuzestan uprising, Iranian Embassy siege
Status Final action and confrontations in 1980.

The Democratic Revolutionary Front for the Liberation of Arabistan was an Iranian Arab militant group founded in 1979, most famous for the Iranian Embassy siege of 1980 in London, United Kingdom. It was led by Oan Ali Mohammed, who was killed during the siege by SAS troops.

History

The DRFLA claims to have taken part in the Iranian Revolution of 1979, assisting Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's coup d'etat which overthrew the Shah. But after the 1979 Arabistan Rebellion, the DRFLA began a large-scale insurgency. In 1980, they seized twenty-six hostages in the Iranian embassy in London and threatened to execute them unless the United Kingdom delivered ninety-one Arabs incarcerated in Iranian jails, and they asked the London ambassadors of Arab countries to mediate on their behalf with the British government. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher authorized Operation Nimrod, a projected assault to free the hostages, and a few days after negotiations had bogged down, the SAS killed DRFLA leader Oan Ali Mohammed and all but one of the other militants, with no casualties themselves. Afterwards, the Democratic Revolutionary Front for the Liberation of Arabistan unleashed no more major attacks.

References

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