Muslim Brotherhood TV: Perpetrator of the Ras Burqa Massacre Was "A Hero Who Fulfilled His Duty"

TV host Dina Zakaria of the Turkey-based Muslim Brotherhood channel Watan TV praised Egyptian policeman Suleiman Khater, who had perpetrated the 1985 Ras Burqa Massacre. On October 5, 1985, Khater murdered seven Israelis, including four children, who had been vacationing in Sinai. Zakaria portrayed Khater as a hero who had to kill the "Zionists," who were advancing toward his post. She added that Khater, who was found hanging in his prison cell, was killed "for the sole purpose of pleasing the Zionist state." The show aired on October 7, 2018.

Dina Zakaria: "Thirty three years ago, on October 5, 1985, in the Ras Burqa region in south Sinai, [Egyptian policeman] Suleiman [Khater] was standing guard, when he was surprised by a group of 12 Zionists. They started to climb towards the post Suleiman was guarding. The Border Guard's orders were clear: Nobody can pass. At that moment, Suleiman Khater decided to use his weapon. At first, he fired warning shots in the air, and when the Zionists continued to advance in Egyptian territory, he had to fulfill his duty as a soldier who loves his country and defends its land. He confronted those enemies and started shooting at them. Seven of them were killed, and others were injured. This is the story, told very simply. This is the role played by Suleiman Khater. Should he have stood trial for this or should he have been honored?

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"Suleiman courageously responded to his investigators, who had surprised him when they told him that he had committed a crime and that he was going to be punished. Suleiman responded: 'Why didn't you tell me that this is forbidden? You should have told us to let them be, and we would have done so.' This is a logical question. Why? You should have told us whether the Zionists are our enemies or our beloved friends. Are we supposed to protect their lives and their security, or to defend our country, even to the point of killing them? This is a logical question that many people are asking to this day.

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"The eternal truth will remain. History doesn't lie or forget, and it proves that Suleiman Khater was a hero who was killed for the sole purpose of pleasing the Zionist state."