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N0KFQ > TODAY 07.10.12 18:15l 61 Lines 2652 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 29305_KB0WSA
Read: GUEST
Subj: Today in History - Oct 7
Path: IZ3LSV<IK2XDE<IR2UBX<IW0QNL<JH4XSY<JE7YGF<7M3TJZ<ZL2BAU<GB7LDI<N0KFQ<
KB0WSA
Sent: 121007/1642Z 29305@KB0WSA.MO.USA.NA BPQK1.4.53
...
Oct 7, 1985:
Palestinian terrorists hijack an Italian cruise ship
Four Palestinian terrorists board the Italian cruise ship Achille
Lauro shortly after it left Alexandria, Egypt, in order to hijack
the luxury liner. The well-armed men, who belonged to the Popular
Front for the Palestine Liberation Front (PLF), the terrorist
wing of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) led by Abu
Abbas, easily took control of the vessel since there was no
security force on board.
Abbas had been responsible for many attacks on Israel and its
citizens in the early 1980s. On multiple occasions, he sent men
on hang gliders and in hot air balloons on bombing missions to
Israel, all of which turned out to be miserable failures. In an
attempt to salvage his reputation, Abbas ordered the hijacking of
the Achille Lauro. Yet there were no specific goals or demands
set forth in the mission.
At first, the terrorists demanded that Israel release imprisoned
PLF members and sought entry to a Syrian port. But when Syria
denied the request, the terrorists lost control of the situation.
Gathering the American tourists on board, the terrorists randomly
chose to kill 69-year-old Leon Klinghoffer. The wheelchair-bound
American was shot in the head and thrown overboard.
Klinghoffer's cold-blooded murder backfired on the terrorists.
The world's outrage forced PLO chief Yassir Arafat to cut PLO
ties with the terrorists and to demand that Abbas end the
situation. On October 9, Abbas contacted the terrorists, ordered
them not to kill any more passengers, and arranged for the ship
to land in Egypt.
Meanwhile, the elite U.S. Navy SEALs were dispatched to raid the
Achille Lauro. But by the time they arrived, the terrorists had
already gotten off the ship in Egypt and boarded a plane to
Libya. The United States then sent out two F-14 fighter jets,
which intercepted the plane and forced it to land in Italy. A
three-way standoff between the PFLP terrorists, the Americans,
and the Italian Army on the runway in Sicily ended with the
Italians taking Abbas and the other terrorists into custody.
Despite intense American pressure, the Italians allowed Abbas to
leave the country, and then prosecute the four who were on board.
All were convicted, but only one received a sentence of 30 years;
the others got off with lighter prison terms. Italy tried and
convicted Abbas in absentia, but did not seek extradition until
2003. He was captured by U.S. Special Forces in Baghdad that year
and died in American custory in 2004.
73, K.O. and Billie
"On the Road Again... "
E-Mail: n0kfq@winlink.org
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