Street named for assassinated Emirati diplomat

ABU DHABI // A street in the capital was named yesterday after an Emirati diplomat who was assassinated in 1984.

Khalifa Ahmed Abdel Aziz Al Mubarak, the UAE’s ambassador to France from 1980 until his death on February 8, 1984, was shot in the back of the head outside his Paris apartment, metres away from the Eiffel Tower.

He died a few hours later at Saint Anne’s Hospital, where doctors said the bullet was lodged too deep in his brain for surgery to be possible.

Yesterday, in the presence of his family and Government officials, a curtain was removed to reveal the name of the new street “Khalifa Al Mubarak”, behind the Crown Prince’s Court in Al Bateen, as well as a picture of the man.

According to a report at the time from Agence France- Presse, an anonymous caller tipped off the agency that the Arab Revolutionary Brigades killed the 36-year-old diplomat “because of the links of his country with American imperialism”. The same group claimed responsibility for blowing up Gulf Air flight 771 from Karachi to Abu Dhabi in 1983, killing 112 passengers and crew.

Before being posted to Paris, Al Mubarak worked in Sudan and Syria as UAE ambassador.

Last week, a road off Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque was named for another UAE official who was assassinated.

Saif Ghubash was killed by a bullet that hit his arm and stomach at Abu Dhabi International Airport.

The killer had meant to kill the Syrian foreign minister, AbdelHalim Khadim, instead.

Silvia Razgova / Crown Prince Court – Abu Dhabi From left, Mohammed Al Mubarak, Deputy Chief Executive of Aldar Properties, Razan bint Khalifa Al Mubarak, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Chief Executive and Managing Director of Mubadala and Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority, and Rasha bint Khalifa Al...