On October 7, 1981 the president of Egypt was assassinated. Islamic extremists assassinated Anwar Sadat as he reviewed troops on the anniversary of the Yom Kippur war. Sadat had exercised an incredible public service record for Egypt which made him a large target of Islamic extremists as they were looking to take control of the Middle East. Sadat had also allowed the ailing Shah of Iran to die in Egypt rather than be returned to Iran to stand trial for his crimes against the country which had angered many. For theses reasons, reactions to President Sadat’s death have been mixed. President Reagan condemned Anwar Sadat's death as an act of infamy. He said: "America has lost a great friend, the world has lost a great statesman, and mankind has
