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Fauzi Mohammed Ayub (Arabic: فوزي محمد أيوب‎), (also Fawzi), (5 October, 1966 – May 2014)^[1] was a Lebanese-Canadian who was a member of Hezbollah and arrested in 2002 by the Israeli Defence Forces. Two years later he was released to his wife and three children in Lebanon in a prisoner exchange that saw 436 Palestinians and Lebanese released in exchange for Elhanan Tannenbaum and the bodies of three Israeli soldiers abducted four years earlier.^[2][3]

His arrest brought debate to Canada over whether to declare Hezbollah a "terrorist" organisation, and whether to continue judging its military branch separately from its political and social service branches.^[4]

He was killed in May 2014 while fighting in the Syrian Civil War by a Free Syrian Army ambush in the Battle of Aleppo (2012–present).^[5]

Life

Ayub joined the Amal Movement in 1975 while studying, claiming that it was necessary to protect his family.^[7] In 1983, he formally joined Hezbollah, and three years later was part of a hijacking plot that targeted Iraqi Airways Flight 163 in Romania, hoping to exchange the airline hostages for Lebanese prisoners held by Iraq.^[2][7] However, the man designated to hand over small firearms to Ayub's group in the airport, named Sh'alan, was arrested, and confessed to the plot - leading Romanian authorities to immediately arrest Ayub when he entered the building.^[7] However, a second wave team targeted the same flight the following day and successfully hijacked it, although it crashed in the Arabian desert, killing 62 people aboard.^[7]

Ayub was sentenced to 7 years' imprisonment, but was released after only ten months.^[7]

Life in Canada

In 1988, his uncle sponsored him to move to Canada under the auspice of a program designed specifically for displaced Lebanese to immigrate to the country. He received his Canadian citizenship four years later.^[7]

He married a woman from Detroit, and began working at a grocery store, while taking night courses at University.^[7]

In 1994, his marriage fell apart due to arguments concerning his wife's desire to avoid having children; he remarried a Lebanese woman, and they had a son, Abbas, the following year.^[7] In 1997, a second son, Mohamed, was also born.^[7] He found work at a computer company, but moved back to Lebanon in 2000, citing his wife's unhappiness away from their home country.^[7] A third child was also born to the couple.^[6]

Return to Lebanon

After returning to Lebanon, Ayub and his wife opened a bakery and ran a construction supply outlet, but his businesses began to falter, and the family found themselves in increasing debt.^[7] Around this time, he was contacted by old friends in Hezbollah who suggested there was still a place for him in the organisation.^[7]

Several months later, Ayub flew from Lebanon to Greece, and there obtained a forged American passport under the name Frank Bushy with which he sailed to Haifa, Israel in October 2000.^[8] Upon arriving in Israel, he headed for the West Bank.^[9]

While in the West Bank, he launched a failed attempt to free three prominent prisoners, Mustafa Dirani, Abdel Karim Obeid and Jihad Shuman, leaving twelve people dead.^[9]

In late 2002, Ayub was questioned by Israeli authorities, and explained he was in the region to help oppressed Muslims as a volunteer.^[7]

He was arrested on June 25 after Israeli forces stormed the police station where he was located, and Canada was informed of his arrest eight days later.^[9] He received three consular visits from Canada, and was tried in Tel Aviv district court by judge Zacharia Caspi.^[9]

References