Abd al - Halim Abu Ghazala Mohamed Abd al - Halim Abu Ghazala ( محمد عبد الحليم أبو غزاله ) ( 2008 – 1930 ) was Defense Minister of Egypt from 1981 to 1989 , when former Egyptian president Mubarak removed him from office due to claims that he was involved in a missile - parts illegal import scandal from the United States , by violating U . S . export laws . The USA did not allow exporting certain materials used for making missile heads to the Egyptian military . So the Egyptian intelligence under Abu Ghazala ' s commands managed to import those materials indirectly though Germany in a highly complicated undercover intelligence mission , until the FBI found out about the mission and issued arrest warrants for the involved Egyptian Intelligence officers and an involved Egyptian missile scientist . Early life and education . He was born in Zuhur Al Omara Village , Dilingat , Behera governorate , in February 1930 . His family descended from " Awlad Aly " tribe . After completing his secondary education , he joined the Egyptian Royal Military Academy , then he received the battalion command diploma from Stalin Academy in the Soviet Union in 1949 . He also graduated from Nasser Academy for higher military education ( Cairo 1961 ) . On the civilian studies side , he received a bachelor ' s degree from the faculty of commerce , Cairo University . Abu Ghazala received the diploma of honor from the war college in the U . S . A . , thus being the first non - American to receive such an award . Career . Field Marshal Abd al - Halim Abu Ghazala was the artillery commander in chief during October War of 1973 . When Minister of defense and military production , Ahmad Badawi , died along with 12 senior officers in a helicopter crash on 2 March 1981 \ Anwar Sadat appointed Abu Ghazala minister of defense and military production . He did not participate in the Six Day War of 1967 as he was serving in the Western Desert . He was also involved with Gust Avrakotos and Charlie Wilson in supplying weapons to the Afghan Mujahideen during the Soviet Afghan war . The CIA bought the weapons and passed them through Pakistan ' s ISI to the Afghan rebel groups . Items included . 303 ammo for Lee Enfield rifles , limpet mine s , and urban terrorist devices like bicycle bombs . There were also a number of rockets that some believe was the Katyusha . Project T and removal . The project T is part of the tri - national program with Argentina , and Iraq to develop a two - stage solid and liquid propellant missile with a range of . This program was referred to in Argentina as the Condor 2 , and in Iraq as the Badr 2000 . The Project T missile is a Scud - B variant , whose payload was probably reduced in order to extend its range . On the 15th of April 1989 , Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak removed and replaced Ghazala amid allegations that he was involved in an alleged scheme to transfer restricted missile technology from the United States to assist the R & D for Project T . Although the United States Justice Department has said it was investigating whether General Abu Ghazala was involved , he has not been charged with any wrongdoing . Ghazala was appointed as a consultant for the President . Egypt is believed to have terminated the program . Throughout his tenure as Minister of Defense , Ghazala was widely perceived as the second - most powerful man in Egypt , and a potential rival for power to Hosni Mubarak . His removal from office , and subsequent disappearance from public life , were seen as politically motivated . 2005 elections . In 2005 , Ghazala was briefly rumored to be a presidential candidate for the powerful but illegal Muslim Brotherhood . He finally did not run , and the Muslim Brothers did not field a candidate in the first contested Egyptian presidential election 2005 . The Muslim Brotherhood offered him to run as their presidential candidate , but he refused due to their different ideological backgrounds . Death . Abu Ghazala died on 6 September 2008 at El - Galla Military Hospital in Cairo at the age of 78 after a battle with throat cancer .