The Hijacking of the Achille Lauro

History 2 Minutes

On October 10, 1985, 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.

How the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Began

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.

SOURCE: HISTORY.COM

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139 thoughts on “The Hijacking of the Achille Lauro”

    1. Just wanted to see if it would open here – wouldn’t open for M either….smh.

      WOW! ELON MUSK JUST SAID HE’D LIKE TO CUT 77% OF FEDERAL AGENCIES UNDER A TRUMP ADMINISTRATION! “Do we really need… whatever it is… 428 federal agencies?… I think we should be able to get away with 99 agencies.” Yes!

      Kamala DEFINITELY wouldn’t want you to share this!

      Liked by 1 person

  2. “Democrats Cruelly Make Fun Of Autistic African-American Jumping For Joy”

    Politics · Oct 7, 2024 · BabylonBee.com

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    BUTLER, PA — Prominent Democrats recently came under fire for cruel insensitivity after they callously mocked an autistic African American jumping up and down for joy at a recent political rally.

    According to sources at the scene, the sweet, innocent little African-American autist, who is also an immigrant, was just exuberantly bouncing around for sheer happiness, prompting Democrats to mercilessly make fun of his heartwarming dance.

    “This sort of racist and ableist bigotry is completely unacceptable,” said James Veti, who had attended the political rally and later saw Democrats doing their best to down the dear little jumper-for-joy. “Autistic African Americans are people too, and they deserve respect. Come on, guys — have a little class!”

    While the guy springing up and down for joy was not available for comment, former president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump weighed in on the matter.

    “It’s very sad, very sad, but unfortunately in character for Democrats,” Trump said. “Very sad. Not good. Racism is bad! We love our African-American autistic supporters very much. They’re the best, believe me, everyone says so. No one has done more for the African-American community than me, folks. Or the autist community. Absolutely tremendous. The best, maybe ever.”

    At publishing time, the African-American autist had responded by buying the entire Democrat party and renaming it DemocratX to force it to support free speech.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. “Lesbian Captain Crashes After Insisting Ships Don’t Have To Go Into Ports”

    World · Oct 7, 2024 · BabylonBee.com

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    SAMOA — Lesbian naval commander Yvonne Gray reportedly crashed the HMNZS Manawanui into a coral reef shortly after insisting that ships don’t have to go into ports.

    “Ships in ports is old-fashioned thinking,” Captain Gray said, according to the ship’s log. “As long as I’m captain, this ship will never dock at a port ever again. Ports are for ports and ships are for ships.”

    Despite attempts by the first officer to undermine her command by warning that crashing into a coral reef could damage the ship beyond repair, Captain Gray stood firm against the obvious mansplaining by her crew.

    “I am a woman!” the log records her saying. “And I’m a lesbian!”

    “I can do anything a man can do — “

    The HMNZS Manawanui, a survey and dive vessel, then crashed into a coral reef where it promptly caught fire and sank. Fortunately, the crew was rescued after Captain Gray heroically called for help.

    Though the crew is safe, an oil spill from the ship is believed to have irreversibly harmed the ecosystem, killing thousands of fish and setting back Samoa’s tourism for decades. Captain Gray says she is proud to be the first lesbian responsible for an oil spill.

    The prime minister of New Zealand proudly announced that Captain Gray would be given the rank of Admiral and put in command of the five remaining ships in their fleet.

    At publishing time, Captain Yvonne Gray was heralded as a hero and awarded the Navy Cross for showing extraordinary perseverance in the face of mansplaining.

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  5. I am adding a short daily prayer to the board. I would invite each of you, if you wish, to also add one or maybe two of your own liking. I do not want to stifle anyone but please limit yourself to one or two religious postings. here’s one I found that I liked.

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