Incident Overview
Description
While en route, the hijackers armed with pistols and hand grenades demanded that the aircraft be flown to Beirut, Lebanon. Officials blocked the runway but after a considerable period of flying in a holding pattern and unsuccessfully attempting to land without permission the aircraft was allowed to land. At Beirut, the hijackers demanded the release of Musa al-Sadr, a Lebanese-Iranian philosopher and Shi’a religious leader who disappeared while on a trip to Libya in August 1978. They also made other demands related to the release and return of their leader They shot a passenger in the foot and threatened to kill passengers and blow up the aircraft unless it was refueled. Reportedly two men boarded and joined the hijackers and three passengers were released prior to the aircraft’s departure for Athens. Greece. At Athens, they repeated their demands and received fuel and supplies They then flew to Rome. Italy. At Rome, the aircraft was refueled and again flew to Beirut where the runways were again blocked. Reportedly several hundred armed men of the Shiite Moslem militant group known as Amal forced the runway to be cleared and required the control tower to facilitate the aircraft’s landing. After landing the aircraft was refueled and two terrorists deplaned while four more accomplices boarded. They next flew to Tehran, Iran where they repeated their demands and the aircraft was again refueled and resupplied. They returned to Beirut where after about four hours the hijackers deplaned. Three were taken into custody. The four who had joined the original hijackers on earlier stops were not detained.
Primary Cause
Hijacking of an aircraft en route to Lebanon.Hijacking of an aircraft en route to Lebanon.Share on:
