The death of Omar Hassan could be considered one of Jack Bauer's greatest failures. Characters going out as heroes is a recurring theme in this list, which is exactly how Omar met his untimely demise. President of the fictional Islamic Republic of Kamistan, he was central to a peace treaty between his nation and the western world led by US President Alison Taylor. After attempts on his life in a bid to stop the peace talks, terrorists threatened to detonate a dirty bomb in New York unless Hassan was handed over. Despite President Taylor refusing to comply, Omar over ruled her once he found out what was at stake. What made this death hit the audience harder was that we were almost certain Jack would save him. It was a race against the clock; one Jack has battled time and time again. The terrorists were in the middle of their speech, gearing up to execute Hassan. As Jack and Renee breached the building, killing those involved, the twist revealed the terrorist's internet stream was not live and Hassan has already been murdered. In the final scene, Jack respectfully closes the President's eyes, muttering an apology for being unable to save his life. Omar was a flawed man, but a great one with an admirable vision for peace and his sacrifice was enough to earn him the silent clock.
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