Anti-Israel activist and comedian Amer Zahr wore a shirt depicting terrorist airplane hijacker Leila Khaled in an airport, according to a video he posted on Instagram on Thursday.
“Do have to be Palestinian all the time?” said Zahr. “Even in the airport? Yes!”
Khaled is a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a terrorist organization designated as such by the US State Department. She is most infamous for her title of “first female to hijack an airplane,” due to her involvement in two plane hijacking attempts - one in 1969 and one in 1970.
The iconic image of Khaled, which was emblazoned on Zahr’s shirt, features her wearing a Keffiyeh and wielding a Kalashnikov rifle, was taken after her first hijacking operation.
On August 29, 1969, Khaled was part of a group that hijacked a plane on its way from Rome to Tel Aviv, instead diverting it through Damascus. While nobody was harmed during the event, the hijackers blew up the nose section of the aircraft after disembarkment.
On September 6, 1970, after undergoing multiple plastic surgery procedures to disguise her identity, Khaled again played a part in the hijacking of a flight - this time, an El Al plane flying from Amsterdam to New York City.
She was arrested and briefly held by the British government, although was released less than a month later in a prisoner exchange.
Who is Amer Zahr?
Palestinian-American comedian Zahr was born in Jordan to Palestinian parents but has lived in the US since the age of three. In 2016, he served as a national surrogate for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign, and has several successful comedic endeavors, including a festival and a documentary, under his belt.
In September 2022, several comedians, including fellow Palestinian comedian Jennifer Jajeh, came forward on Twitter, claiming that Zahr had sexually harassed them.
