Ahmed Yassin who was killed by an Israeli helicopter gunship in 2004 is best known as the founder of what organization?
Ahmed Yassin Ahmed Yassin Sheikh Ahmed Ismail Hassan Yassin (1937 – 22 March 2004) ( "") was a Palestinian imam and politician. He was a founder of Hamas, an Islamist Palestinian paramilitary organization and political party. Yassin also served as the spiritual leader of the organization. Hamas gained popularity in Palestinian society by establishing hospitals, education systems, libraries and other services, but it has also claimed responsibility for a number of suicide attacks targeting Israeli civilians, and was designated as a terrorist organization by the European Union, Israel, Japan, Canada, and the United States. Yassin, a quadriplegic who was nearly blind, had
Ahmed Yassin March 2004. While he was being wheeled out of an early morning prayer session in Gaza City, an Israeli AH-64 Apache helicopter gunship fired Hellfire missiles at Yassin and both of his bodyguards. Before the attack, Israeli F-16 jets flew overhead to obscure the noise of the approaching helicopters. Yassin always used the same direction every morning to go to the same mosque in the Sabra district that is from his home. Yassin and his bodyguards were killed instantly, along with nine bystanders. Another 12 people were injured in the operation, including two of Yassin's sons. Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, Yassin's