Egyptian and world dignitaries gathered in Cairo to commemorate the eighth anniversary of Egypt’s crossing of the Suez Canal on October 6, 1981. As everyone was distracted by Egyptian Air Force Mirage jets flying overhead, an assassination squad got out of one of the troop trucks parading by and started shooting. Although he was protected by four layers of security and eight bodyguards, Sadat was killed. Ten other attendees died, and twenty-eight were wounded. The Egyptian president was buried in the Unknown Soldier Memorial in Cairo, and world leaders attended the funeral. The United States, which had actively worked with Sadat on a peace project for the Middle East, was represented by President Reagan, as well as former presidents Jimmy Carter, Gerald R. Ford, and Richard M. Nixon
