12 Facts About Leila Khaled

Leila Khaled is a Palestinian former militant and activist who was a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Leila Khaled is famous as being the first woman to hijack an airplane.

Leila Khaled was born on April 9,1944, in Haifa, Mandatory Palestine, to Arab parents.

Leila Khaled's family fled to Lebanon on April 13,1948, as part of the 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight, leaving her father behind.

Leila Khaled was arrested though later released during a hostage exchange.

Leila Khaled has stated in interviews that she developed a fondness for the United Kingdom when her first visitor in jail, an immigration officer, wanted to know why she had arrived in the country without a valid visa.

Leila Khaled developed a relationship with the two policewomen assigned to guard her in Ealing and later corresponded with them.

Leila Khaled continued to return to the UK for speaking engagements until as late as 2002, although she was refused a visa by the British embassy in 2005 to address a meeting at the Feile an Phobail in Belfast, where she was invited as a speaker.

Leila Khaled has become involved in politics, becoming a member of the Palestinian National Council and appearing regularly at the World Social Forum.

Leila Khaled was married to physician Fayez Rashid and lived with their two sons Bader and Bashar in Amman, Jordan.

Leila Khaled was the subject of a film entitled Leila Khaled, Hijacker, directed by Palestinian filmmaker Lina Makboul.

In mid September 2020, Leila Khaled was scheduled to speak at a virtual Zoom conference at San Francisco State University hosted by Rabab Abdulhadi and Tomomi Kinukawa.