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N0KFQ > TODAY 10.10.12 22:22l 79 Lines 3708 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 29418_KB0WSA
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Subj: Today in History - Oct 10
Path: IZ3LSV<IW0QNL<JH4XSY<JE7YGF<N9PMO<XE1FH<N0KFQ<KB0WSA
Sent: 121010/2016Z 29418@KB0WSA.MO.USA.NA BPQK1.4.53
...
Oct 10, 1985:
Achille Lauro hijacking ends
The hijacking of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro reaches a
dramatic climax when U.S. Navy F-14 fighters intercept an
Egyptian airliner attempting to fly the Palestinian hijackers to
freedom and force the jet to land at a NATO base in Sigonella,
Sicily. American and Italian troops surrounded the plane, and the
terrorists were taken into Italian custody.
On October 7, four heavily armed Palestinian terrorists hijacked
the Achille Lauro in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of
Alexandria, Egypt. Some 320 crewmembers and 80 passengers, were
taken hostage. Hundreds of other passengers had disembarked the
cruise ship earlier that day to visit Cairo and tour the Egyptian
pyramids. Identifying themselves as members of the Palestine
Liberation Front--a Palestinian splinter group--the gunmen
demanded the release of 50 Palestinian militants imprisoned in
Israel. If their demands were not met, they threatened to blow up
the ship and kill the 11 Americans on board. The next morning,
they also threatened to kill the British passengers.
The Achille Lauro traveled to the Syrian port of Tartus, where
the terrorists demanded negotiations on October 8. Syria refused
to permit the ship to anchor in its waters, which prompted more
threats from the hijackers. That afternoon, they shot and killed
Leon Klinghoffer, a 69-year-old Jewish-American who was confined
to a wheelchair as the result of a stroke. His body was then
pushed overboard in the wheelchair.
Yasir Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) condemned
the hijacking, and PLO officials joined with Egyptian authorities
in attempting to resolve the crisis. On the recommendation of the
negotiators, the cruise ship traveled to Port Said. On October 9,
the hijackers surrendered to Egyptian authorities and freed the
hostages in exchange for a pledge of safe passage to an
undisclosed destination.
The next day--October 10--the four hijackers boarded an EgyptAir
Boeing 737 airliner, along with Mohammed Abbas, a member of the
Palestine Liberation Front who had participated in the
negotiations; a PLO official; and several Egyptians. The 737 took
off from Cairo at 4:15 p.m. EST and headed for Tunisia. President
Ronald Reagan gave his final order approving the plan to
intercept the aircraft, and at 5:30 p.m. EST, F-14 Tomcat
fighters located the airliner 80 miles south of Crete. Without
announcing themselves, the F-14s trailed the airliner as it
sought and was denied permission to land at Tunis. After a
request to land at the Athens airport was likewise refused, the
F-14s turned on their lights and flew wing-to-wing with the
airliner. The aircraft was ordered to land at a NATO air base in
Sicily, and the pilot complied, touching down at 6:45 p.m. The
hijackers were arrested soon after. Abbas and the other
Palestinian were released, prompting criticism from the United
States, which wanted to investigate their possible involvement in
the hijacking.
On July 10, 1986, an Italian court later convicted three of the
terrorists and sentenced them to prison terms ranging from 15 to
30 years. Three others, including Mohammed Abbas, were convicted
in absentia for masterminding the hijacking and sentenced to life
in prison. They received harsher penalties because, unlike the
hijackers, who the court found were acting for "patriotic
motives," Abbas and the others conceived the hijacking as a
"selfish political act" designed "to weaken the leadership of
Yasir Arafat." The fourth hijacker was a minor who was tried and
convicted separately.
73, K.O. and Billie
"On the Road Again... "
E-Mail: n0kfq@winlink.org
HomeBBS: KB0WSA.MO.USA.NA
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