Ashraf Marwan

Ashraf Marwan
Born	Template:Birth date Manshiyat al-Bakri, Cairo, Egypt
Died	June 27, 2007(2007-06-27) (aged 63) London, England
Occupation(s)	Government official, arms trader, intelligence agent
Known for	Alleged espionage for Israeli Mossad during Yom Kippur War

Mohamed Ashraf Abu El Wafa Marwan, widely recognized as Ashraf Marwan (2 February 1944 – 27 June 2007), was an Egyptian government figure accused of espionage on behalf of the Israeli Mossad, a claim denied by former president Hosni Mubarak.

Beginning in 1969, Marwan held a position within the Presidential Office under Gamal Abdel Nasser and subsequently served as a trusted aide to Anwar Sadat. Prior to the 1973 Yom Kippur War, he delivered vital intelligence to Israel. During the 1980s, he moved to London and engaged in arms trading. Marwan's death occurred under unclear circumstances on June 27, 2007, following a fall from his London apartment balcony. His relatives noted that he had voiced concerns about being surveilled.

Early life and education

Marwan was born on February 2, 1944, in Cairo’s Manshiyat al-Bakri district into a distinguished family; his grandfather presided over Egypt’s Sharia courts, while his father served as a major general and deputy commander of the Republican Guard. His mother was part of the influential al-Fayyad lineage.

He completed his secondary education at Kubri al-Quba High School with a focus on science and earned a degree in chemical engineering from Cairo University in 1965, simultaneously undergoing military officer training. That same year, he began working as a second lieutenant within Egypt’s military industry. Marwan married Mona Nasser, daughter of President Nasser, in July 1966—a marriage that significantly enhanced his standing among Egypt’s elite.

In 1968, Marwan joined the Presidential Office under Sami Sharaf, Nasser’s security chief. Later that year, Marwan relocated with Mona and their son to London for purported academic pursuits. Due to concerns over their extravagant lifestyle abroad, Nasser ordered their return to Egypt, where Marwan resumed duties under Sharaf.

Career

Marwan’s tenure at the Presidential Office spanned eight years (1968–1976). Although his official rank was relatively low during Nasser’s era, he was occasionally entrusted with sensitive assignments such as managing the fallout from General Saad el-Shazly’s resignation triggered by a rival’s appointment as chief of staff.

Events leading to the 1973 Arab-Israeli conflict

As Egypt prepared to recover the Sinai Peninsula lost during the 1967 Six-Day War, Marwan offered himself as an intelligence source to Israel by approaching the Israeli embassy in London in 1969. After an initial refusal, Israeli intelligence recruited him in 1970. The Mossad assigned him the codenames Angel and Babylon.

Following Nasser’s death and under President Anwar Sadat, Marwan was granted exceptional access to Egypt’s most confidential information after his promotion in May 1971. He transmitted detailed intelligence to Israel regarding Egyptian military strategies, exercises, arms procurement from the Soviet Union and others, order of battle details, minutes from high command meetings, Sadat’s private discussions with Arab leaders, and secret records of summits between Sadat and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. This information reached Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, Defense Minister Moshe Dayan, and IDF Chief of Staff Chaim Bar-Lev. Meir subsequently shared critical insights from Sadat-Brezhnev meetings with U.S. President Richard Nixon and advisor Henry Kissinger. Despite some skepticism within Israeli ranks, Mossad director Zvi Zamir validated Marwan’s reliability.

Marwan’s espionage activities for Israel became public knowledge in 2002. Expert Uri Bar-Joseph considers him the most valuable human intelligence asset for Israel during the Yom Kippur War era. While Israel had other Egyptian informants, none matched Marwan's level of access.

Certain analysts such as Eli Zeira and researcher Ahron Bregman proposed that Marwan functioned as a double agent, supplying deceptive intelligence as part of an Egyptian counterintelligence effort. Nevertheless, investigations by Bar-Joseph during the 2010s confirmed Marwan's genuine collaboration with Mossad. Bar-Joseph’s 2016 publication, The Angel: The Egyptian Spy Who Saved Israel, inspired the Netflix film The Angel. The CIA’s Studies in Intelligence commended this work for effectively demonstrating that Marwan’s intelligence was too detrimental to Egypt to be fabricated or erroneous. In a 2022 interview, former Egyptian Major General Liwa Mohammed Rashad affirmed that Marwan was not a double agent but spied for Israel mainly due to financial motivations.

Post-war career in Egypt

On February 14, 1974, Marwan was appointed as Secretary to the President of the Republic for Foreign Relations, a position that mirrored Sadat's distinct leadership approach. Due to President Sadat's dissatisfaction with then-Foreign Minister Ismail Fahmy, Marwan emerged as a potential successor. Nevertheless, allegations surfaced accusing him of leveraging his proximity to Sadat for personal benefit. Facing increasing scrutiny, Sadat terminated Marwan’s tenure in March 1976.

Subsequently, Marwan was chosen to head the Arab Organization for Industrialization, a military manufacturing enterprise financed by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar. However, political dynamics resulted in his dismissal from this role in October 1978.

Activities in London

Following the assassination of Sadat in October 1981, Marwan moved to London where he established himself as an arms trader and reportedly amassed billionaire status. He developed connections with Tiny Rowland and became embroiled in a rivalry with Mohammed Al Fayed concerning Harrods. During the early 1990s, Marwan held a 20% ownership stake in Cabra, the company managing Stamford Bridge (home of Chelsea F.C.) and the grounds of Fulham F.C. This stake was eventually sold to Ken Bates. In 2002, he purchased a 3.2% share in Chelsea Village plc, the parent company of Chelsea F.C.

In 2000, Marwan opened an account with Credit Suisse through a legal entity; this information surfaced publicly in 2022 as part of the "Suisse Secrets" revelations.

Death in London

Marwan passed away on June 27, 2007, outside his London residence due to a traumatic rupture of the aorta after falling from his fifth-floor balcony. Both the Metropolitan Police Service and his son Gamal suspected possible foul play. His funeral held in Egypt drew attendance from prominent figures such as Gamal Mubarak and intelligence chief Omar Suleiman. President Mubarak lauded Marwan’s "patriotic acts," which remained undisclosed.

Due to the case’s prominence and missing crucial evidence—specifically Marwan’s shoes—the investigation was handed over to the Metropolitan Police Specialist Crime Directorate. A witness reported seeing two men of Mediterranean appearance on the balcony shortly after the incident. The coroner’s inquest concluded there was insufficient proof to classify the death as suicide or homicide and found no indication of mental illness.

Prior to his death, Marwan had voiced concerns about potential assassination attempts and had taken security measures. He was planning a trip to the United States for legal consultations and had recently become a member of the Reform Club. His draft memoirs and recorded interviews reportedly vanished.

Marwan was at least the third notable Egyptian connected to intelligence agencies who died under enigmatic "balcony deaths" in London, alongside Soad Hosny and El-Leithy Nassif, both also involved with memoir projects.

His widow accused Mossad of orchestrating his death; however, experts argue this is unlikely due to intelligence recruitment risks. Biographer Bar-Joseph suggests that Egyptian intelligence under Mubarak may have pressured or directly caused Marwan’s death following disclosures of his betrayal.

Personal life

One of Marwan’s sons married the daughter of former Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa. His son Gamal maintains a close friendship with Gamal Mubarak, son of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.