Hussein el-Shafie, one of leaders of 1952 coup against Egypt's monarchy, dies - 18 November, 2005 - News

Hussein el-Shafie, who was a member of the Free Officers movement that overthrew Egypt's monarchy in a 1952 military coup and later served as vice president under Anwar al-Sadat, has died. He was 87.

El-Shafie, born in the Nile Delta city of Tanta in 1918, died Friday morning at his home, after a long illness, his nephew Nadia el-Shafie told The Associated Press.

El-Shafie was an officer in the Egyptian military during the 1948 war between the Arabs and Israel, and like many returned disillusioned with Egypt's King Farouq after the Arabs' losses.

He joined Gamal Abdel Nasser in the Free Officers Movement, a group of military officers who toppled the king in 1952. Abdel Nasser, who became president, elevated el-Shafie to war minister in 1954. He headed the court that tried members of the Muslim Brotherhood after an alleged assassination attempt against Abdel Nasser that same year.

Abdel Nasser's successor Anwar Sadat named el-Shafie as his vice president in 1970 but removed him five years later after el-Shafie opposed Sadat's policies toward Israel. El-Shafie sharply opposed Sadat's 1979 peace deal with Israel.

Sadat replaced el-Shafie as vice president with Hosni Mubarak, who rose to the presidency after Sadat's assassination in 1981.

El-Shafie's funeral will be held Saturday. He is survived by his wife, son and a daughter, AP reported. V.A.