Coup Atlas Research Database
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66309011970AttemptedRebel coup

Jordan, 1970 — rebel coup attempt

Jordan (JOR)Western Asia, AsiaSeptember 1, 1970

Event Summary

The dataset records an event coded as a rebel coup in Jordan on 1 September 1970, at the start of the crisis known as Black September, in which King Hussein's government moved to reassert control over the Palestinian fedayeen guerrilla organizations that had built a state within a state in Jordan. Through 1970 the Palestine Liberation Organization and allied groups operated openly, mounting checkpoints, defying Jordanian authority, and clashing with the army. On 1 September 1970 guerrillas attempted to assassinate King Hussein by ambushing his motorcade, one of two attempts on his life that year.

The failure of these attempts, and the multiple aircraft hijackings by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in September, precipitated Hussein's decision to unleash the army. In the ensuing civil war of September 1970, the Jordanian military crushed the fedayeen, killing thousands and eventually expelling the Palestinian armed groups to Lebanon by 1971, at grave cost but preserving the Hashemite monarchy.

Researched Details

Researched

Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.

Target identified in Coup Atlas research: King Hussein survived the assassination attempt and crushed the fedayeen in the Black September civil war
RESEARCHED NAME
Key figures
King Hussein (king of Jordan, target)
Palestinian fedayeen organizations (rebels)
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (militant group)

Sources

Black September was a conflict fought in Jordan between the Jordanian Armed Forces under King Hussein and the Palestine Liberation Organization during 1970 and 1971.
SOURCE REVIEWED Wikipedia, Black September open source ↗
By 1970 fedayeen organizations were operating openly and defying Jordanian authority, creating a state within a state and clashing repeatedly with the army.
SOURCE REVIEWED Wikipedia, Black September open source ↗
Guerrillas made attempts on King Hussein's life in 1970, and after a wave of PFLP aircraft hijackings in September, Hussein ordered the army to move against the fedayeen.
SOURCE REVIEWED Wikipedia, Black September open source ↗
In the September 1970 civil war the Jordanian army crushed the fedayeen, and by July 1971 the Palestinian armed groups had been expelled from Jordan to Lebanon.
SOURCE REVIEWED Wikipedia, Black September open source ↗

Editorial Note

Dataset date 1 September 1970 corresponds to a fedayeen assassination attempt on King Hussein at the outset of the Black September crisis; the dataset codes it a rebel coup with leader unharmed, reflecting the guerrilla challenge to Hashemite authority. The broader crisis is extensively documented; the specific 1 September ambush detail is lightly sourced this session, flagged. First Jordan record in the dataset run.

Cross-Reference

Only one dataset carries it. One of the three reference datasets we check against carries this event; the others do not list it. That is not a contradiction — the datasets cover different periods and use different thresholds — but it means the record has had less outside corroboration.

Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:

Cline Center id
66309011970

How the match is made is described in crossref-report.md.

Outcome and Target

Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: King Hussein survived the assassination attempt and crushed the fedayeen in the Black September civil war.

Baseline coding: Coup attempt failed to remove the incumbent. Recorded leader fate: remained in office; not physically harmed. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.

Baseline Dataset Citation

Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset, v2.2.2
Peyton, Buddy, Joseph Bajjalieh, Michael Martin, and Andrea Gerald. 2026. Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset. Cline Center for Advanced Social Research. V.2.2.2. February 17. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. doi: 10.13012/B2IDB-9651987_V10
⚑ This citation establishes the coded baseline record; use the claim-level sources above for the researched narrative.

Baseline Source-Document Entries

Wikipedia

New York Times

“The Dilemma of the P.L.O.,” by Stanley Karnow, March 25, 1975

Chicago Tribune

“Syrian Invader Force Halted, Jordan Says; Plea for Big 4 Aid Told,” September 22, 1970

This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →

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