---
category: Iran-Contra
summary: Colonel Mohammed Radi Abdullah was a former colonel in the Jordanian Army.
tags:
- Person
- IranContra
- Israel
---

Colonel [Mohammed Radi Abdullah](/people/mohammed-radi-abdullah/) was a former colonel in the [Jordanian](/places/jordan/) Army. He was decorated by King Hussein of [Jordan](/places/jordan/) for his bravery in the 1967 Middle East war. His family later emigrated to [London](/places/london/) after falling out with the king over the mass slaughter of Palestinians by the [Jordanian](/places/jordan/) Army in 1970.[^1]

[Radi](/people/mohammed-radi-abdullah/) became known as a businessman who championed Arab and Palestinian causes in Europe. To recoup gambling and other losses, he began working for [Anthony Pearson](/people/anthony-pearson/), who supplied intelligence information to [Israel](/places/israel/). Unwittingly, [Radi](/people/mohammed-radi-abdullah/) helped [Pearson](/people/anthony-pearson/) acquire intelligence about Palestinian organizations in Europe by selling arms to them. This intelligence was then passed to [Mossad](/organizations/mossad/), leading to the elimination of 14 or 15 Palestinians over a two-month period.[^1]

[Radi](/people/mohammed-radi-abdullah/) was recruited by [Rafi](/organizations/rafi/) in 1978 to work for an antiterrorist group in [Israel](/places/israel/), after [Pearson](/people/anthony-pearson/) made it clear that the £200,000 loan he offered [Radi](/people/mohammed-radi-abdullah/) came from an [Israeli](/places/israel/) source.[^1]

[Radi](/people/mohammed-radi-abdullah/) was a key player in [Israeli](/places/israel/) "black" operations, including the 1986 plot to bomb an [El Al](/organizations/el-al/) plane, which was designed to discredit [Syria](/places/syria/). He instructed his cousin, [Nezar Hindawi](/people/nezar-hindawi/), in this plot. He was also involved in the [Achille Lauro](/events/achille-lauro/) attack in 1985, which was an [Israeli](/places/israel/) "black" propaganda operation to portray Palestinians as ruthless terrorists. [Rafi](/organizations/rafi/) passed instructions to [Radi](/people/mohammed-radi-abdullah/), who then relayed orders to [Abul Abbas](/people/abul-abbas/) to carry out a cruel attack.[^1]

[^1]: Ben-Menashe, Ari. *Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network*. TrineDay, 1992.