- Peter Malkin
Peter Zvi Malkin ( _he. צבי מלחין ), (
May 27 1927 -March 1 2005 ), was anIsrael isecret agent , and member of theMossad intelligence agency. Malkin was head of the team that capturedAdolf Eichmann in Argentina in 1960 and brought him to Israel to stand trial.Biography
Malkin was born in
Zolkiewka ,Poland to an observant Jewish family. [ Samuel Schafler, "Hadassah Magazine" October 1990, p. 37, review of "Eichmann in My Hands", Peter Malkin and Harry Stein] In 1936, his family fled toPalestine to escape the rising tide ofanti-Semitism ; his sister, Fruma, and her three children who remained behind with 150 other relatives, died in theHolocaust . At the age of twelve, Malkin was recruited into the Haganah. In 1950, he was invited to join the new Jewish state's fledgling security service as an explosives expert.Mossad career
Malkin spent 27 years in the Mossad, first as an agent and later as Chief of Operations. As Chief of Operations he played a major role in the capture of
Israel Beer , aSoviet spy who had penetrated the highest levels of Israeli government. He also led an operation againstNazi nuclear rocket scientists who assisted anEgypt ian weapons development program afterWorld War II .Malkin's most famous mission was on
May 11 1960 , when he and his team of Mossad agents capturedAdolf Eichmann , a top Nazi official principal in organizing the Shoa, inArgentina . "One moment, sir" were the words he uttered as he tapped Eichmann on the shoulder, before wrestling him to the ground and putting him in the getaway car to be smuggled to Israel.In 1989, Israeli newspaper
Maariv cited him as "one of the greatest figures ever in the history of the Mossad." Israeli journalist Uri Dan called him a "an extraordinary secret warrior."Later years
After retiring in 1976, Peter Malkin devoted his time to painting, a profession he used as a cover during his Mossad years. He has also authored five books, and served as a private international consultant on anti-terrorism methods. The movie, "The Man Who Captured Eichmann" (1996) starring
Robert Duvall as Adolf Eichmann, was based on his book. [http://www.peterzmalkin.com/ Malkin's official site]Malkin spent his last years in
New York with his wife Roni and their three children. He died onMarch 1 2005 .Published Work
"Eichmann in My Hands", 1990, Peter Z. Malkin & Harry Stein (ISBN 0-446-51418-7)
References
External links
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4321079.stm Obituary: Spy who captured Eichmann]
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