Grand Mosque seizure

Zuweid al Nefai Pervez Musharraf Lieutenant Paul Barril Juhayman al-Otaybi Abdullah al-Qahtani † Mohammed Faisal Mohammed Elias Strength Unknown number of Pakistani commandos ~10,000 Saudi National Guard members At least 3 GIGN commandos 300–600 militants Casualties and losses 127 killed 451 wounded (Saudi Arabian) 117 killed Unknown number wounded 68 executed The Grand Mosque seizure occurred during November and December 1979 when extremist insurgents calling for the overthrow of the House of Saud took over Al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca , Saudi Arabia . The insurgents declared that the Mahdi (the "redeemer of Islam") had arrived in the form of one of their leaders – Mohammed Abdullah al-Qahtani – and called on Muslims to obey him. The seizure of Islam 's holiest site, the taking of hostages from among the worshipers, and the deaths of hundreds of militants, security forces and hostages caught in crossfire in the ensuing battles for control of the site, all shocked the Islamic world . The siege ended two weeks after the takeover began and the mosque was cleared. Following the attack, the Saudi state implemented a stricter enforcement of Islamic code.

Zuweid al Nefai Lieutenant Paul Barril Juhayman al-Otaybi Muhammad al-Qahtani † Mohammed Faisal Mohammed Elias Strength c. 10,000 Saudi National Guard members 50000 Commandos 300–600 militants Casualties and losses 127 killed 451 wounded 117 killed Unknown number wounded 68 executed The Grand Mosque seizure occurred during November and December 1979 when armed civilians calling for the overthrow of the House of Saud took over Masjid al-Haram in Mecca , Saudi Arabia . The insurgents declared that the Mahdi (the "redeemer of Islam") had arrived in the form of one of their leaders, Mohammed Abdullah al-Qahtani, and called on Muslims to obey him. The seizure of Islam 's holiest site, the taking of hostages from among the worshippers and the deaths of hundreds of militants, security forces and hostages caught in the crossfire in the ensuing battles for control of the site, shocked the Islamic world . The siege ended two weeks after the takeover began and the mosque was cleared. Al-Qahtani was killed in the recapture of the mosque but Juhayman and 67 of his fellow rebels who survived the assault were captured and later beheaded. Following the attack, the Saudi King Khalid implemented a stricter enforcement of Shariah (Islamic law), he gave the ulama and religious conservatives more power over the next decade, and religious police became more assertive. Not since the tenth century had such a maverick crew occupied Islam's holiest sanctuary, and for nearly two weeks Saudi Special Forces assisted by French commandos fought pitched battles to reclaim the compound. The Saudis: Inside the Desert Kingdom . Norton and Company , New York. 2002 (first edition: 1987). Sacred Rage: The Wrath of Militant Islam . The worrying thing is that the king [Khaled] probably believed that as well . . Khaled had come to agree with the sheikhs. Foreign influences and bida'a were the problem. The solution to the religious upheaval was simple—more religion.

Zuweid al-Nefai Juhayman al-Otaybi Muhammad al-Qahtani † Muhammad Faisal Muhammad Elias Units involved National Guard Special Security Forces GIGN (advisors) N/A Strength ~10,000 troops 300–600 militants Casualties and losses 127 killed 451 wounded 117 killed 68 executed 11 pilgrims killed 109 pilgrims injured Masjid al-Haram (Mecca) Location of the 1979 siege within Saudi Arabia The Grand Mosque seizure, by the Juhayman group, lasted from 20 November 1979 to 4 December 1979, when extremist militants in Saudi Arabia calling for the overthrow of the House of Saud besieged and took over Masjid al-Haram , the holiest Islamic site , in the city of Mecca . The besieging militia who referred to themselves as the 'al-Ikhwan', in reference to the religious militia Ikhwan that played a part in establishing Saudi Arabia, declared that the Mahdi (a messianic figure in Islamic eschatology) had arrived in the form of one of their leaders: Muhammad Abdullah al-Qahtani; the militants called on all Muslims to obey him. In the aftermath of the seizure, the Saudi Arabian Army , supported by France through advisors from the GIGN , fought the Ikhwan for almost two weeks in order to reclaim Masjid al-Haram. The seizure of the holiest Islamic site, the taking of hostages from among the worshippers, and the ensuing deaths of hundreds of militants, security forces, and hostages caught in the crossfire shocked the Muslim world . Al-Qahtani, the self-proclaimed messiah, was among the 117 militants who were killed by Saudi troops during their recapture of the site. However, leading militant Juhayman al-Otaybi and 68 of his followers survived the assault; they were taken as prisoners and later executed by beheading. Following the attack, Khalid bin Abdulaziz implemented a stricter enforcement of Islamic law throughout Saudi Arabia and also gave the ulama and Muslim conservatives more power over the next decade. Likewise, Saudi Arabia's Islamic religious police became more assertive. Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , United States of America: P.G. The Saudis: Inside the Desert Kingdom . Norton and Company , New York. 2002 (first edition: 1987).

The attack was carried out by up to 600 militants led by Juhayman al-Otaybi , a Saudi Islamist opposed to the monarchy , belonging to the Otaibah tribe. The insurgents identified themselves as "al- Ikhwan " ( Arabic : الإخوان ), referencing the Arabian militia that had played a role in the early formation of the Saudi state in the early 20th century. Scholars refer to them as Juhayman's Ikhwan . The insurgents took hostages from among the worshippers and called for an uprising against the House of Saud , decrying their pursuit of alliances with "Christian infidels" from the Western world, and stating that the Saudi government's policies were betraying Islam by attempting to push secularism into Saudi society. They also declared that the Mahdi (a harbinger of the end of times) had arrived in the form of one of the militants' leaders, Muhammad Abdullah al-Qahtani. Seeking assistance for their counteroffensive against the Ikhwan, the Saudis requested urgent aid from France , which responded by dispatching advisory units from the GIGN . After French operatives provided them with a special type of tear gas that dulls aggression and obstructs breathing, Saudi troops gassed the interior of the Grand Mosque and forced entry. They successfully secured the site after two weeks of fighting. In the process of retaking the Grand Mosque, the Saudi forces killed the self-proclaimed messiah al-Qahtani. Juhayman and 68 other militants were captured alive and later sentenced to death by Saudi authorities, being executed by beheading in public displays across a number of Saudi cities. The Ikhwan's siege of the Grand Mosque, which had occurred amidst the Islamic Revolution in nearby Iran , prompted further unrest across the Muslim world . Large-scale anti-American riots broke out in many Muslim-majority countries after Iranian religious cleric Ruhollah Khomeini falsely claimed in a radio broadcast that the Grand Mosque seizure had been orchestrated by the United States and Israel . Following the attack, Saudi king Khalid bin Abdulaziz enforced a stricter system of Islamic law throughout the country and also gave the ulama more power over the next decade. Likewise, Saudi Arabia's Islamic religious police became more assertive. The Saudis: Inside the Desert Kingdom . Norton and Company , New York. 2002 (1st ed.: 1987). The worrying thing is that the king [Khaled] probably believed that as well... Khaled had come to agree with the sheikhs. Foreign influences and bida'a were the problem. The solution to the religious upheaval was simple—more religion."