Dawud Salahuddin facts for kids

Dawud Salahuddin (born 1950), also known as Hassan Abdulrahman, is an American who has lived in Iran for many years. He is known for a major event that happened in 1980. That year, he became a Muslim and was involved in the death of Ali Akbar Tabatabaei. Tabatabaei was an Iranian who disagreed with the government in Iran at the time. This event happened at Tabatabaei's home in Bethesda, Maryland. Salahuddin has been living in Iran since then.

Salahuddin is also the last person known to have seen Robert Levinson. Levinson was an FBI agent who went missing in 2007.

Early Life of Dawud Salahuddin

Dawud Salahuddin was born as David Theodore Belfield on November 10, 1950. His birthplace was Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. He grew up in Bay Shore, New York, on Long Island. His family was Baptist and went to church. He had four brothers and one sister.

Salahuddin felt strongly about social issues from a young age. He described feeling upset about how African-Americans were treated. In 1963, he became very interested in politics. This happened when he saw news from Birmingham, Alabama. The news showed civil rights marchers being stopped with fire hoses and dogs. This made him feel very strongly against symbols of American authority. After high school, he went to Howard University in Washington, D.C. for a short time.

He joined a group that was like a military group. But he left because they did not agree with his interest in Marxism (a political idea about society). He met a musician who told him that Islam was important for black men. He met many Islamic leaders in the U.S. and became more involved in their ideas. He changed his name to Dawud Salahuddin. He also visited a mosque run by Hamaas Abdul Khaalis. In 1973, a violent event happened where Khaalis's family was killed. This made Salahuddin realize some things about the Black Islamic leadership in America.

He was drawn to Islam because he thought it treated everyone equally. He converted to Islam when he was 18. He often visited an Iranian student center. In the early 1970s, he visited prisons in Washington, D.C. He wanted to share the message of Islam with black inmates. In 1975, he met Said Ramadan, an Egyptian scholar. Ramadan later became his guide. Salahuddin said that as an "angry" African-American, he wanted to see big changes in America.

The Event with Ali Akbar Tabatabai

Salahuddin first worked with the government of Iran in 1980. This was soon after the Iranian Revolution. He worked as a security guard at an Iranian office in Washington D.C. He then took on a task from the Iranian government. This task was to deal with Ali Akbar Tabatabai. Tabatabai was a former official from the Shah's government. He was living in Bethesda, Maryland.

A magazine article from 2002 said that Salahuddin first tried to convince his Iranian employers to let him target a more famous American. But Ali Akbar Tabatabai was holding meetings of a group that opposed the Iranian government. So, the Iranian government wanted him stopped.

On July 22, 1980, Salahuddin went to Tabatabai's home in Bethesda, Maryland. He was dressed like a mailman and drove a postal truck he had borrowed. He told Tabatabai's helper that he had a special package needing a signature. When Tabatabai came out, Salahuddin shot him three times. Tabatabai died about 45 minutes later at a hospital. Salahuddin then traveled to Iran. He went through Montreal, Canada, and Geneva, Switzerland.

Salahuddin says he only received $5,000 for this action. He denies getting other payments from the Iranian government. In 1995, Salahuddin admitted to the killing in an interview on a TV show called 20/20. He said it was "an act of war." He believed that in Islamic terms, taking a life is sometimes allowed and even praised. He thought this event was one of those times. This was reportedly the last known Iranian action of this type on United States soil.

Three other people were also charged in the U.S. for helping in the Tabatabai event. They included Horace Anthony Butler, William Caffee, and Lee Curtis Manning.

Life in Iran

Salahuddin arrived in Iran on July 31, 1980. He has lived there most of the time since then. He has also spent short periods in other Muslim countries and North Korea. He has been careful to avoid being sent back to the United States.

In over 30 years, he has worked in many different jobs. He has been an English teacher, a war reporter, and a web editor. He fought in Afghanistan alongside the Afghan Mujahideen. In 2000, he acted in a film called Kandahar. This film was made by a famous Iranian director. He married an Iranian woman and speaks Persian. He also works as a freelance writer.

The BBC says Salahuddin is known by several other names. A magazine called Time reported that he is also known as Hassan Abdul Rahman. He was a former editor for an English newspaper in Iran called Iran Daily. Salahuddin said he was a soldier in Afghanistan from December 1986 to May 1988.

Salahuddin worked as the chief online editor for Press TV. This is an English TV channel funded by the Iranian government. He worked there for three years. He left in July 2009 after the presidential elections were disputed. He is close to some important Iranian figures. These include film director Mohsen Makhmalbaf and Masoumeh Ebtekar. Ebtekar was a spokesperson during the Iran hostage crisis.

Salahuddin has had some contact with American authorities. After the first bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993, U.S. agents contacted him. He discussed returning to the United States to face trial. He sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno in 1994. In the letter, he offered to help connect the U.S. with Islamic groups. In return, he asked not to be prosecuted. He did not receive a reply.

Salahuddin reportedly met with Robert Levinson on Iran's Kish Island in 2007. This was shortly before Levinson disappeared. Levinson was working on a CIA operation that went wrong. On March 25, 2020, Levinson's family said that U.S. officials told them Levinson had died while in Iranian custody. Salahuddin is currently on the FBI's list of wanted people.

Film Appearances

Kandahar

Salahuddin is also an actor. He played a main role in the 2001 film Kandahar. The film was directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Salahuddin played a helpful character who assisted the main female character. She was a Canadian woman born in Afghanistan. She went back to Afghanistan before the Taliban fell. She wanted to rescue her sister. During her travels, she met an English-speaking medic (Salahuddin). This medic was an American who was living in exile for "political activity."

The director, Makhmalbaf, defended casting Salahuddin. He wrote that he himself had been hurt by the SAVAK. Tabatabai, the person Salahuddin killed, was a "prominent member" of SAVAK. Makhmalbaf said that Tabatabai's brother did not understand that Salahuddin was also a victim. He was a "victim of the ideal he believed in." After the film came out, Doug Gansler, a state attorney, said that Salahuddin was still wanted.

American Fugitive: The Truth About Hassan

In 2006, Jean-Daniel Lafond released a film about Salahuddin. It was called American Fugitive: The Truth About Hassan. This film caused some discussion. Some people said it was "convincing" and "moving." Others thought it supported "conspiracy theories" and showed too much sympathy for "a cold-blooded murderer."

See also

• Islamist terrorism
• 2011 alleged Iran assassination plot