Hesham Mohamed Hadayet was born on July 4, 1961, in Egypt. He grew up in a country filled with political and social changes. As a young adult, he became involved with a group called Al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya, which was known for its Islamic beliefs and activism. Hadayet later denied being a member of this group when speaking to U.S. immigration authorities.

In 1992, he decided to emigrate to the United States. He entered the country on a tourist visa and applied for political asylum shortly after arriving. His asylum request was denied in 1995. However, a letter from the Immigration and Naturalization Service about his status was returned as undeliverable, and he was not deported.

In 1997, his wife won the Diversity Immigrant Visa lottery. This lottery allowed them to gain legal residency in the United States. They settled in California, where Hadayet worked as a limousine driver.

On July 4, 2002, at around 11:30 a.m., Hesham Mohamed Hadayet approached the El Al ticket counter inside the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport. He was carrying two Glock pistols and started shooting into the crowd of around 90 passengers waiting in line. The first victim was 25-year-old Customer Service Agent Victoria Hen, who was shot in the chest. He then shot 46-year-old bystander Yaakov Aminov, killing him as well. In total, four other bystanders were also injured during the attack.

Hadayet used a .45 caliber handgun during the shooting and also had a 9 mm handgun, a 6-inch knife, and extra ammunition for both weapons. After he fired approximately ten bullets, an unarmed security guard managed to knock him down. El Al's security officer, Chaim Sapir, ran to the scene but was stabbed while trying to intervene. Despite being injured, Sapir drew his gun and shot Hadayet in the chest, which led to his death.

Hesham Mohamed Hadayet, a 41-year-old Egyptian national, was identified as the assailant. The attack was later characterized as a terrorist act, with federal investigators concluding that Hadayet aimed to influence U.S. government policy regarding the Palestinians.