Yusuf Sibai

Sibai was an Egyptian writer. He became the Minister of Culture in 1973 and remained in that position until he was assassinated in Cyprus on February 18, 1978 because of his support for President Sadat's initiative to make peace with Israel after the president's historical visit to Jerusalem in 1977. He was also the chairman of the Al-Ahram establishment and the head of Egyptian Journalists Syndicate. He wrote 22 short stories and dozens of novels, the latest being Life Is A Moment in 1973. He was awarded the State Award in the Arts in 1973 and a large number of medals.

Sibai was assassinated in Cyprus on February 18, 1978 while he was attending an Asian-African conference there. This murderous event had a negative effect on the Egyptian – Cypriot relations, and forced Egypt to cut ties with Cyprus, particularly after an Egyptian special military unit landed at Larnaca International Airport to arrest the assassins without informing the Cypriot authorities. After the assassination, the two murderers took about thirty hostages of the members of the delegations participating in the Solidarity Conference and imprisoned them in the hotel cafeteria. They threatened that they would kill the hostages by grenades unless the Cypriot authorities promised to fly them out of the country. The Cypriot authorities finally yielded to their request and it was resolved to take them on board of a DC8 Cypriot plane to escape outside Cyprus. The plane took off from Larnaca International Airport. The battle between the special Egyptian force and the Cypriot army had led to the deaths of several members of the Egyptian force while many were injured on both sides. The crime was later blamed on Abu Nidal Organization (ANO), a militant Palestinian splinter group.

Sibai was the chief editor of some Egyptian magazines, including Al Risala Al Jadida, Akher Saa and Al Musawar in addition to Al-Ahram newspaper. He also served as the editor of Lotus magazine from its start in 1968 to his assassination in 1978.

In 1940, he taught at the Cavalry Corps in the Academy, and later became a professor of military history in 1943, and then in 1949 he was elected manager of the Military Museum. He later finally reached the rank of Brigadier General.

Sibai was born in 1919. He graduated at the Egyptian Military Academy in 1937. Since then, he assumed many positions, including teaching at the Egyptian Military Academy.

Yusuf Mohamed Mohamed Abdel Wahab Al-Sibai (Arabic: يوسف محمد محمد عبد الوهاب السباعي; June 17, 1917 – February 18, 1978), was an Egyptian writer and minister.