| Summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | June 14, 1985 |
| Type | Hijacking |
| Site | Greek Airspace |
| Passengers | 153 |
| Crew | 8 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Fatalities | 1 |
| Survivors | 152 |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 727-231 |
| Operator | Trans World Airlines |
| Tail number | N93339 |
| Flight origin | Athens (Ellinikon) International Airport |
| Stopover | Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport |
| Destination | London Heathrow Airport |
TWA Flight 847 was an international Trans World Airlines flight which was hijacked by the Amal Movement, widely believed to be a nom de guerre for the Islamist Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah [1], on Friday morning, June 14, 1985, after originating in Cairo, Egypt and was flying from Athens, Greece to Rome, Italy, from where it was scheduled to travel on to London. Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Trans World Airlines ( TWA) renamed TWA Airlines LLC in 2001 was a major U An aircraft registration is a unique Alphanumeric string that identifies an Aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile Ellinikon International Airport, sometimes spelled Hellinikon (in Greek Ελληνικόν was the international airport of Athens for sixty years up until Hijacking (also known as skyjacking and aircraft piracy) is the take over of an Aircraft, by a person or group usually armed Trans World Airlines ( TWA) renamed TWA Airlines LLC in 2001 was a major U Hijacking (also known as skyjacking and aircraft piracy) is the take over of an Aircraft, by a person or group usually armed For other uses of Amal see the disambiguation page. Amal Movement ( Arabic: abbreviation of أفواج المقاومة اللبنانية transliterated A pseudonym is a fictitious alternative to a person's legal name (see Alias) Islamism ( Islam + ism; Arabic: al-'islāmiyya) a set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only Hezbollah (حزب الله, literally " party of God " is a Shi'a Islamic political and Paramilitary organisation Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) Cairo () which means "the Vanquisher" or "the Triumphant" is the capital and largest city of Egypt. Athens (ˈæθənz Αθήνα Athina,) the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery as one of the world's Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The aircraft with its passengers and crew endured a three-day intercontinental ordeal during which one passenger, a U. S. Navy diver, was murdered. Dozens of passengers were then held hostage over the next two weeks, until released by their captors.
Contents |
Hijacking events
Piloted by 58-year-old Captain John Testrake, the Boeing 727, tail number N64339 [2], departed at 10:10 am, carrying 153 passengers and crew, including flight engineer Benjamin C. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Zimmermann,[3] co-pilot Philip G. Maresca, and flight attendant Uli Derickson. Flight attendants or cabin crew (historically known as stewards air hosts/hostesses or stewardesses) are members of an Aircrew Ulrike Patzelt ( August 8, 1944 &ndash February 18, 2005) better known as Uli Derickson, was a Flight attendant during
It was commandeered shortly after takeoff by two German-speaking Lebanese men who had smuggled pistols and grenades through the Athens airport security. Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية A third intended hijacker, Ali Atwa, had been bumped from the flight and was later arrested in Greece. Ali Atwa (born about 1960 (علي عطوة is a Lebanese national and member of the Islamist organization Hezbollah. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία
To Beirut, then Algiers
The plane was diverted from airspace over Greece to the Middle East and made its first stop, for several hours, at the Beirut, Lebanon airport, where 19 passengers were allowed to leave in exchange for fuel. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. Beirut (بيروت Bayrūt) is the Capital and Largest city of Lebanon with a population of over 2 During this time, Lebanon was in the midst of a civil war, and Beirut was divided into sectors controlled by different militias. The Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990 was a multifaceted Civil war whose antecedents can be traced back to the conflicts and political compromises reached after the end
On Friday afternoon, the aircraft continued on to Algiers, Algeria in North Africa where 20 passengers were released during a five-hour stop, before heading back to Beirut Friday night. Algiers (الجزائر Algerian Arabic: Dzayer ( (From kabyle pronunciation Kabyle: Ledzayer, Alger) is the Capital and largest North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan
Back to Beirut
The Beirut International Airport, surrounded by a Shia neighborhood, had no perimeter security and nearby residents could simply drive onto the runway. Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport (formerly Beirut International Airport or Khaldé International Airport) ( مطار رفيق الحريري الدولي During this stop, the hijackers identified an American Navy diver, Robert Stethem, among the passengers. Robert Dean Stethem ( November 17, 1961 &ndash June 15, 1985) was a United States Navy Seabee diver who was murdered They beat him, shot him in the right temple, and dumped his body out of the plane onto the tarmac. Seven American passengers, who were alleged to have Jewish-sounding surnames, were taken off the jet by Hezbollah and sequestered in Beirut. [4]
Algiers again, Beirut again
Nearly a dozen armed men joined the hijackers before the plane returned to Algiers on Saturday, June 15, where an additional 65 passengers were released. Events 763 BC - Assyrians record a Solar eclipse that will be used to fix the Chronology of Mesopotamian history It returned to Beirut for a third time, landing on Sunday afternoon, June 16, and remained there. Events 1487 - Battle of Stoke Field, the last dying breath of the Wars of the Roses.
The initial demands of the hijackers included:
- the release of all 766 mainly Lebanese Shias transferred to Israel in conjunction with Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon; [5]
- international condemnation of Israeli military activity in southern Lebanon;
- condemnation of U. S. actions in the Middle East; and
- condemnation of the March 8, 1985, car bombing in the Beirut suburb of Bir al Abed earlier that year. Events 1618 - Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion. Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) On 8 March 1985, a Car bomb exploded 9-45 metres from the house of Islamic cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah in Beirut, The Greek government released the accomplice Ali Atwa and in exchange the hijackers released eight Greek citizens, including Greek pop singer Demis Roussos. Artemios (Demis Ventouris Roussos (born June 15, 1946) is a Greek singer
By Monday afternoon, June 17, most of the hostages had been taken from the plane to a secure location. Events 1462 - Vlad III the Impaler attempts to assassinate Mehmed II ( The Night Attack) forcing him to retreat The 40 remaining hostages were held by Nabih Berri, the chief of the Amal militia and the then Minister of Justice in the fractured Lebanon cabinet. Nabih Berri (نبيه بري born January 28, 1938) is the Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon. For other uses of Amal see the disambiguation page. Amal Movement ( Arabic: abbreviation of أفواج المقاومة اللبنانية transliterated One of the hostages was released when he developed heart trouble. The other 39 remained captive until June 30, when they were driven to Syria. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية The hostages then boarded a U.S. Air Force plane and flew to West Germany. West Germany ( Inf German: Westdeutschland or West-Deutschland) was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany ( Over the next several weeks, Israel released over 700 Shia prisoners, while maintaining that the prisoners' release was not related to the hijacking. [6]
Aftermath
The iconic image of this hijacking was the photograph showing a hijacker holding a gun to the pilot's head (sticking out of the cockpit window) as the pilot is being questioned by reporters. [7]
Flight attendant Uli Derickson was widely credited with calming the hijackers and saving the lives of many passengers. Ulrike Patzelt ( August 8, 1944 &ndash February 18, 2005) better known as Uli Derickson, was a Flight attendant during Because her German was the only common language with the hijackers, who spoke poor English, she acted as translator and liaison for most of the ordeal. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Notably, she defused a tense situation in Algiers when airport officials refused to refuel the plane without payment by offering her own Shell Oil credit card, which was used to charge about $5,500 for 6,000 gallons of jet fuel, for which she later was reimbursed. She also hid the passports of Jewish passengers so they could not be singled out. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************
Israel released some of its Shia prisoners within a month after the hijacking ended. They stated that the release was unrelated to the hijacking and had long been planned.
Nationalites
| Nationality | Passengers | Crew | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Greece |
15 | 0 | 15 | |
 Germany |
8 | 1 | 9 | |
 Italy |
11 | 0 | 11 | |
 United Kingdom |
24 | 0 | 24 | |
 United States |
78 | 7 | 85 | |
| Total | 145 | 8 | 153 |
Alleged perpetrators
Hezbollah specialist Magnus Ranstorp of the University of St. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Andrews, credits "leading Hezbollah members Hassan Izz-Al-Din (later involved in the Kuwait flight 422 hijacking in 1988) and Mohammed Ali Hammadi whose brother was one of the heads of the Hezbollah SSA (Special Security Apparatus). Hasan Izz-Al-Din (حسن عز الدين (born about 1963 is an Lebanese national wanted by the United States government Mohammed Ali Hammadi (محمد علي حمادي aka Mohammed Ali Hamadi and Mohammed Ali Hamadei, (born June 13, 1964 in Lebanon Iran assisting Hezballah operatives in the "supervision and planning of the incident itself and as an active participant in the defusion and resolution. "[8]
On October 10, 2001, in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, three of the alleged hijackers, Imad Mugniyah, Ali Atwa and Hassan Izz-Al-Din, having been earlier indicted in United States district courts for the 1985 skyjacking of the American airliner, were among the original 22 fugitives announced by President George W. Events 680 - Battle of Karbala: Shia Imam Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is decapitated Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Imad Fayez Mughniyah ( December 7, 1962 - February 12, 2008) also Transcribed Mughniyya Ali Atwa (born about 1960 (علي عطوة is a Lebanese national and member of the Islamist organization Hezbollah. Hasan Izz-Al-Din (حسن عز الدين (born about 1963 is an Lebanese national wanted by the United States government The United States district courts are the general Trial courts of the United States federal court system. Bush to be placed on the newly formed FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list. The Federal Bureau of Investigation 's " Most Wanted Terrorists " is a list of Fugitives who have been indicted by sitting Federal Grand Juries Rewards of $5 million for information leading to their arrests and convictions still are being offered by the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the
Another of the hijackers, Mohammed Ali Hammadi, was arrested in 1987 in Frankfurt, Germany (then West Germany), while attempting to smuggle liquid explosives, two years after the TWA Flight 847 attack. Mohammed Ali Hammadi (محمد علي حمادي aka Mohammed Ali Hamadi and Mohammed Ali Hamadei, (born June 13, 1964 in Lebanon Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) West Germany ( Inf German: Westdeutschland or West-Deutschland) was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany ( In addition to the West German charge of illegal importation of explosives, he was tried and convicted of Stethem's 1985 murder and was sentenced to life in prison. However, he was paroled and released by German officials on December 20, 2005, and returned to Lebanon. Events 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [9] [10] As of February 14, 2006 the United States formally asked the Lebanese government to extradite Mohammed Ali Hammadi for the murder of U.S. Navy diver Robert Stethem during the 1985 hijacking. Events 842 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the [11] On February 24, 2006, he appeared as well on the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list, under the name Mohammed Ali Hamadei. Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. He was among the second group of indicted fugitives to be named by the FBI to the list. [12]
Several news outlets[13] reported the announcement by Hezbollah of the death of Imad Mugniyah by explosion in Syria on February 13, 2008. Hezbollah (حزب الله, literally " party of God " is a Shi'a Islamic political and Paramilitary organisation Imad Fayez Mughniyah ( December 7, 1962 - February 12, 2008) also Transcribed Mughniyya Events 1258 - Baghdad falls to the Mongols, and the Abbasid Caliphate is destroyed 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The remaining three fugitives from TWA Flight 847 remain on the list, and at large.
Hezbollah reportedly denies culpability in the TWA Flight 847 attack, among its denials of numerous other attacks which have been attributed to the group. Still, the FBI wanted posters of each of the indicted fugitives alleges their individual membership or leadership role in the organization the FBI names as "Lebanese Hezbollah," which it plainly then calls a "terrorist organization. A wanted poster (or wanted sign) is a Poster put up to let the public know of a Criminal whom authorities wish to apprehend "
References in popular culture
- The 1986 film The Delta Force was loosely based on this event. The Delta Force is a 1986 Action film starring Chuck Norris and Lee Marvin as leaders of an elite squad of Special forces
- The 1988 made-for-TV film The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story was directly based on this event. The Taking of Flight 847 The Uli Derickson Story, also marketed as The Flight on video is a 1988 made-for-TV film based on the actual
- The Nitzer Ebb song "T. Nitzer Ebb (pronounced night-zer or nit-zer &mdashthe band pronounces it both ways are a British music group formed in 1982 by Essex school friends W. A. " (from the album Belief) appears to be inspired by this event, as it contains samples of someone saying "TWA flight 847" and "We must land at Beirut. Belief is the second album of the British EBM group Nitzer Ebb. "
References
- ^ Ranstorp, Magnus, Hizb'allah in Lebanon : The Politics of the Western Hostage Crisis, New York, St. Martins Press, 1997, p. 95
- ^ ASN Aircraft accident description Boeing 727-231 N64339 - Beirut, Algiers, Beirut, Algiers, Beirut
- ^ See Hostage in a Hostage World: Hope aboard Hijacked TWA 847 (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1985) for Zimmermann's account of this experience.
- ^ Lebanon Hostage crisi
- ^ Ranstorp, Magnus, Hizb'allah in Lebanon : The Politics of the Western Hostage Crisis, New York, St. Martins Press, 1997, p. 95
- ^ Lebanon, the hostage crisis
- ^ Terror Mastermind's deception cause for skepticism, CNN. COM, February 14, 2008
- ^ Ranstorp, Magnus, Hizb'allah in Lebanon : The Politics of the Western Hostage Crisis, New York, St. Events 842 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Martins Press, 1997, p. 95
- ^ Germany paroles terrorist after 19-year term, MSNBC. MSN. com"
- ^ Will Germany Release an American-Killer?, January 27, 2004
- ^ US 'seeks justice' for hijacker, BBC News
- ^ FBI Updates Most Wanted Terrorists and Seeking Information – War on Terrorism Lists, FBI national Press Release, February 24, 2006
- ^ Hezbollah: Top militant wanted by U.S. slain, MSNBC. Events 98 - Trajan becomes Roman Emperor after the death of Nerva. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. MSN. COM February 13, 2008
See also
External links
- Rewards for Justice Flight TWA 847 page
- FBI Most Wanted Terrorists at fbi.gov web site
- Uli Derickson - Legacy of Courage
- Top Hezblloah militant slain
- John Testrake, 68, TWA. Pilot Who Became Hero in Hijacking
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