Sa'ad Khair

Sa'ad Khair was a noted Jordanian Intelligence and Security official. Sa'ad Khair served as the head of the newly formed Jordanian National Security Agency (NSA).[1]

Career

He gained the rank of Field Marshal after more than four years as Director of the General Intelligence Directorate (November 2000 - May 2005) and as he was instructed to create the Jordanian NSA. The instructions did not clarify the role of the new agency, it was believed that it will serve as a coordination body between all Jordanian security departments, including police. Khair was a grandson of Saeed Pasha Khair, Mayor of Amman, Jordan from 1920–1925 and one of the founders of modern Jordan. His father, Basheer Khair, was the Governor of Amman during King Talal's era. His uncle, Hashim Pasha Khair, was the Minister of the Interior, Speaker of the House of Parliament, and Chief of the Royal Court during the reign of King Abdullah I.

Khair died in the Austrian capital Vienna on Wednesday December 9, 2009 after a heart attack aged 58. His body was transferred to Amman, where he was laid to rest on Thursday December 10, 2009.

The character ‘Hani Salaam’ in the Sir Ridley Scott film Body of Lies is said to have been largely inspired by the six-year tenure of Sa’ad Khair as the GID chief. David Ignatius, author of the novel on which the film is based, has written about his encounter with Khair and modelling the character after him. Both the story and the film feature incidents directly inspired by Saad Khair’s experiences as the spy chief, as the author says, the part where Hani Salaam meets with a jihadist making him talk with his mother on phone and the fearsome spy headquarters’ being called the ‘fingernail factory’ are among a few. The first incident, in real life, took place in an 'Eastern European city where Khair with his team tracked down an undercover jihadist in an apartment and made him talk with his mother on phone in an attempt to force him emotionally in 'changing side' to the Jordanian government.[2]

‘Hani Salaam’ was portrayed by British actor Mark Strong, whose performance in the film got particular critical acclaim because of its notable suavity and illusiveness, which according to the original author reflected the personality of Sa’ad Khair.[2]

References
  1. King Abdullah II of Jordan, Our Last Best Chance, New York, New York: Viking Press, 2011, p. 221
  2. Ignatius, David (2009-12-13). "Jordan's ex-spy chief wasn't too good to be true". MTV.com. Washington Post. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
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