Massacre in Munich: The Manhunt for the Killers Behind the 1972 Olympics Massacre [Paperback]

Michael Bar Bar-Zohar (Author), Eitan Haber (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2005

Few terrorists have been as internationally notorious - or as deadly as "The Red Prince." That was the nickname of Ali Hassan Salameh, a Palestinian who oversaw the Black September Organization from 1970 until his murder by car bomb in 1979. Salameh masterminded the 1972 hijacking of Sabena flight 572 to Tel Aviv, killing 27 tourists at Israel's Lod airport, and the murder of the Israeli athletes at the Olympic Games in Munich. In 1973, he organized the murder of the American and Saudi ambassadors in Sudan. The Red Prince's story is also that of General Aharon "Arale" Yariv, Golda Meir's choice to run Israel's counterterrorism response, and of Zvi Zamir, the head of the Mossad, Israel's intelligence unit. As "The Quest for The Red Prince" unfolds, Zamir and Yariv orchestrate a series of daring cross-border assassinations, picking off Black September members one by one, chasing down Salameh until a final reckoning in Beirut. "The Quest for The Red Prince" does more than catalogue the awful crimes of a terrorist, and Israel's search for a way to end his bloody reign: it authoritatively recounts the history of one of the central conflicts of our time - the Palestinian-Israeli struggle.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Absorbing, surprisingly even-toned... Recommended both as a historical account and a tale of intrigue."
--Booklist

"Informative and exciting"--Publishers Weekly

"Reads like a novel, as fast paced and engrossing... An absorbing book."--New Orleans Times-Picayune, New Orleans, La.

"A non-fiction book that reads like a novel and describes the terrifying feats of two generations of the Salameh family."--Le Figaro, Paris

From the Back Cover

Massacre in Munich describes in breathtaking detail the gripping drama of the events that led to the 1972 massacre of Israeli athletes during the Munich Olympics, as well as the ruthless duel between Israel's secret intelligence service, the Mossad, and the leaders of Black September, the terrorist organization that perpetrated the massacre.
Unlike those pursuing Al Qaeda leaders today, the Israeli agents succeeded in unmasking and killing all of Black September's captains, who operated under sophisticated disguises in Europe and the Middle East. The quest took the Mossad to Paris, Rome, Madrid, Athens, Cyprus, and Lebanon. One of the commandos, Ehud Barak, would become Israel's future Prime Minister. Black September fought back, gunning down Israeli agents in Brussels and Madrid. The bloody duel ended when Black September's leader, Ali Hassan Salameh, nicknamed "the Red Prince," died in a car explosion in Beirut, where he had been tracked down by a mysterious Englishwoman, Erica Mary Chambers, who turned out to be a Mossad agent.
Massacre in Munich does more than catalog Black September's awful crimes and Israel's earch for a way to end its bloody reign. It tells the true story behind one of the central conflicts of our time - Palestinian-Israeli struggle.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press (December 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592289452
• ISBN-13: 978-1592289455
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,306,334 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Bulgaria, grew up in Israel, studied in Jerusalem and in France (Ph.D. in Political Science), fought in four Israeli-Arab wars (1956, 1967, 1973, 1982), spent nine years beside David Ben-Gurion, Israel's founder, became a fervent supporter of peace between Israel and her neighbors, served two terms in Parliament, Professor at Haifa University then at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, represented Israel at the Council of Europe, wrote more than 30 books and a few screenplays,won several awards including the French Academy award, the Ben-Gurion award, the International migration award and was knighted by the President of France as Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Beware!, February 18, 2006

By 

Book Lover - See all my reviews

This review is from: Massacre in Munich: The Manhunt for the Killers Behind the 1972 Olympics Massacre (Paperback)

Beware: Do not buy this book if you already own "The Quest for the Red Prince: Israel's Relentless Manhunt for one of the World's Deadliest Terrorists"(2002). It is the SAME exact book and you don't realize it until you look at the table of contents page. You'll also notice that the name was changed to "Massacre in Munich" in late 2005,probably in reaction to the upcoming release of the Stephen Spielburg movie "Munich". To be frank, this book is not even about the Munich Olympics, they must have changed the name of the book to cash in on the publicity of the movie. The book is actually about one of the terrorists who masterminded the olympics and his family, beginning with his own father's struggle during the British Mandate. Only one chapter deals exclusively with the Munich Olympics. Therefore, if you are wanting to read a book about the 1972 Olympics and Israel's response to it you would be better off reading "One Day in September".

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating history., June 29, 2006

By 

J. Wilson (Warrenton, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Massacre in Munich: The Manhunt for the Killers Behind the 1972 Olympics Massacre (Paperback)

This is an interesting and well written history of the Salameh family and the Black September terrorist group; however, the focus is not strictly on the 1972 Olympic murders as the title would lead one to believe. After having finished the book, I have a much better understanding of the hostilities between the Palestinians and the Israelis, and the tragedy of the Israeli Olympians is only one of many. It also makes me believe even more that the United States' "war on terror" is not a war in the traditional sense, but a way of life for generations once the terrorists choose a target.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Book!!!, February 11, 2008

By 

IowaBoy "Iowa Boy" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Massacre in Munich: The Manhunt for the Killers Behind the 1972 Olympics Massacre (Paperback)

I cannot disagree strongly enough with the negative reviews of this book. I just completed it and I could not put it down. It is excellent and fills in many areas I had no knowledge of. I highly, highly recommend this book.