Abu Nidal (Sabri al-Banna) was regarded as the most dangerous of the Palestinian political leaders.[1] Abu Nidal, whose pseudonym means "father of struggle" (Abu meaning father and Nidal, a secular term, meaning "struggle" or "effort" in Arabic) was primarily active in the 1970s and 1980s in the left-wing of the Palestine Liberation Organization and later the secular/rejectionist front, and was accused by Western and Arab sources of acting as a mercenary for various Arab governments. Most of its targets were Arab politicians, rivals, and activists they felt were soft on the Israeli issue, but Jews, as well as political representatives of Western nations were also targets, especially those involved in the peace process in the Middle East. Notably, ANO enacted a drastically violent policy towards its own members – executing some 600 members and their families in 1987.