Editing Abu Nidal (section)

=== Expulsion from Fatah ===
Two months later, in November 1973 (just after the [[Yom Kippur War]] in October), the ANO hijacked KLM Flight 861, this time using the name Arab Nationalist Youth Organization. Fatah had been discussing convening a peace conference in Geneva; the hijacking was intended to warn them not to go ahead with it. In response, in March or July 1974, Arafat expelled Abu Nidal from Fatah.<sup>[45]</sup>

In October 1974 Abu Nidal formed the ANO, calling it Fatah: The Revolutionary Council.<sup>[46]</sup> In November that year a Fatah court sentenced him to death ''in absentia'' for the attempted assassination of Mahmoud Abbas.<sup>[47]</sup> Seale writes that it is unlikely that Abu Nidal had intended to kill Abbas, and just as unlikely that Fatah wanted to kill Abu Nidal. He was invited to Beirut to discuss the death sentence, and was allowed to leave again, but it was clear that he had become ''persona non grata''.<sup>[46]</sup> As a result, the Iraqis gave him Fatah's assets in Iraq, including a training camp, farm, newspaper, radio station, passports, overseas scholarships and $15 million worth of Chinese weapons. He also received Iraq's regular aid to the PLO: around $150,000 a month and a lump sum of $3–5 million.<sup>[48]</sup>