The shah’s life was publicly threatened April 26 when Yasser Arafat ordered his Palestinian Liberation Organization to capture the deposed ruler and deliver him to homeland’s revolutionary government. Though few foreign leaders attended, the funeral left a deep impression in Egypt. Many Egyptians admired Sadat’s courage in standing by his friend until the end. Kissinger immediately visited him and former President Richard Nixon flew in July 13 for a meeting with his old friend.
In the months that followed, Sadat himself faced increasing political isolation, culminating in his assassination the following year—an event that further entwined his fate with that of the Shah. On June 10, the day after his Bahamas visa expired, the shah and his family flew to Mexico City and moved into a rented villa in Cuernavaca, 30 miles south of the capital.
