Suleiman al-Halabi

Suleiman al-Halabi
سليمان الحلبي
"Souleymân-El Haleby, assassin de Kléber", 1836, by André Dutertre.
Born	c. 1777 Kukan, Aleppo, Ottoman Syria
Died	17 June 1800 (aged 22-23) Cairo, Egypt
Education	Al-Azhar University
Criminal charges	Murder
Criminal penalty	Death by impalement

Suleiman al-Halabi (Arabic: سليمان الحلبي; c. 1777 – 17 June 1800) was a Syrian theology student best known for assassinating Jean-Baptiste Kléber, then serving as the commander of the French campaign in Egypt and Syria, in 1800. Born in the village of Kukan, Ottoman Syria into a family of Kurdish descent, he was sent by his father to study Islamic theology at the Al-Azhar University in Cairo in 1797 when the French launched a concurrent invasion of Egypt. Completing his studies three years later, he returned home before travelling back to Egypt

Arriving in Cairo, al-Halabi monitored Kléber's residence for approximately a month before sneaking into the garden on 14 June and confronting Kléber, stabbing him to death in disputed circumstances. He tried to escape but was quickly found by French soldiers and arrested. After undergoing torture in French custody, he confessed to killing Kléber. His right hand was burned to the bone before al-Halabi was impaled, dying after four hours. His corpse was subsequently taken to France, where it was placed in display in the Musée de l'Homme and used for an exhibition on phrenology. Al-Halabi has been the subject of short films and plays after his death.