Hassan-i Sabbah´s power increased quickly in the political chaos that followed in the wake of the Crusades. The Assassin attacks struck Shiites, Sunnis and Franks alike. Hassan-i Sabbah had no interest in any of the groups that was fighting over the Holy Land. The old man on the mountain, has a plan of his own...

The use of assassination as a political tool made the Order of Assassins a very influential organization. Their Assassinations was carried out in such a way that it got maximum political effect. Their well-trained assassins always struck in public places, where the deed would be witnessed by a large audience. The murderers also allowed themselves get killed after the attack. This approach struck fear in the entire Arab world. Saladin himself had to use a throne that was constructed like a wooden cage on high legs, in order to to escape the assassin's attempts on his life.

The Assassins stated purpose was to destroy the enemies of the true faith. Since these enemies where everyone but the Assassin's own members, they where waging a constant war on the rest of the world. Their few allies where those who for the moment could be of use to the Assassins in achieving their goals and enhancing their power.

The growing wealth of The Assassins allowed The Old Man on the mountain to gather one of the world's finest libraries at Alamut. The Assassins great learning in mysticism, religion, magic, alchemy and astrology is still unsurpassed. They also had vast knowledge of medicine, toxicology, architecture and mechanics. During The Order's golden years in Alamut the Assassins created many strange and horrible things.

In 1256 an invading Mongol army destroyed the Assassin fortress at Alamut, and in 1271 the Egyptian Sultan Baybars crushed the Syrian branch of the Assassin Order after a failed attempt on the Sultans life. Many of the assassins are forced to serve the Sultan, but several of the leading assassins escapes to Europe where they, according to several sources, attains protection by the Templars, with whom they previously had much affairs. When the Templars dissolve in 1309, the Assassins momentarily lose their ground but soon reappear as a network of cells in several European organizations and secret societies.

Over time, the assassins have become more and more estranged from their Arabic origin. Their previously fanatical Islamic missionary movement is slowly changed toward an oriental mystical initiatory system. The known members during the 19^th and 20^th century are very rarely of Arab origin.

Although there are good reasons to suspect Assassin involvement in many political assassinations in Europe during the 16^th, 17^th and 18^th centuries, it is very difficult to say anything with certainty about the organization's activities during this period.

It is not until 1834 the first real proof of the existence of the Order of Assassins is uncovered, when French agents discover the mysterious Hebron letters.

Organization.

Assassin Order is a strict hierarchical organization. The members of the lowest degree are called fidai, or devotees. They are the ones that carry out the Order's assassination and attacks. Above them are lasiq, lay brethren and rafiq, companion and da'i, teachers. The Order is governed by The Old man on the mountain and the wisest of the da'i. This group is often referred to as The Mountain and is believed to be the Assassins religious, ideological and strategic centre. Authorities on the assassins believe that Mountain is situated somewhere in Eastern Europe or northwestern Asia. There is also reliable information indicating that The Mountain is located, or have been located in northern Africa.

The Assassins has infiltrated many powerful societies and powerful organizations. Several Assassin cells are believed to exist within both the UN and several of the Masonic Orders. The Assassins have also with great success infiltrated The Order of the Green Dragon and the Jesuits. The infiltrators are working as individual cells, but can be coordinated and directed from The Mountain.

The Assassins are financing their work and increasing their power by accepting assignments from states and other powerful organizations. We know with certainty that The Assassins where involved in the transactions between Count Axel Wrede-Sparre and the strange Ismaili cult who helped the Swedish king Charles XII to escape from Turkey in 1714. There are also indications that it was assassin agents who, on behalf of The Order of the Green Dragon murdered the famous Swedish industrialist Ivar Kreuger in Paris 1932.

The Assassins are also adept in deceiving others to commit murder and terrorism. Many groups who think that they are fighting for their own objectives are actually just pawns in the grand Assassin game. The modern Assassins are completely unconcerned in wining public political power; their operations are always cleverly hidden by the purposes of others.

To be able to continue working in the shadows, The Mountain spreads cleverly planted rumours that consist of truths mixed with carefully calculated lies. In this way, those with the power to harm them dismiss the very existence of The Assassins as a myth.

The Hebron letters and the Assassin plan.

During the end of the Arab revolt in Palestine 1834 a remarkable document was seized from an alleged Assassin courier in Hebron. The document was a transcript of 24 letters that supposedly described the Assassin plan to overthrow the European world domination. The document was brought to Cairo where it was translated by French agents. The original was taken to Constantinople where it disappeared. Probably stolen by the Russian Czar's secret police, the Okhrana. 

A few years later the French translation, in a curious way, ends up on the table of the French lawyer and state official Maurice Joly.  Joly based his satirical book The Dialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu on the strange Assassin document. Joly's book, and the original French translation were seized by Napoleon's secret police. A few printed copies of Joly's book survived, but the original text is still missing.

The Tsar used Hebron Letters to fabricate the anti-Semitic text The Protocols of the Elders of Zion that was published in Russia 1903. Although the original text is lost, we can, by comparing Joly's text with the falsified Protocols of the Elders of Zion, recreate the Assassin plan to overthrow world order. We cannot with certainty say if the plan is still in use, or if the document from the beginning was allowed to fall into our hands in order to distract our attention from another, even bigger and more horrific plan.

O. Hejll, Curator.