Figure 1.--Hijackers seized TWA Flight 847 after it took mof grom Athems, at the vtime an airport with looe security. The flew it to Beiruit. The press caption read, "Released by Hijackers: Some of the women an children passangers who were released by the hijackers of a TWA jetliner after it landed in Beirut disembark a Middle East Airlines jet that brought them to Cyprus immediately after their release. Mrs. Irma Garza and her drauggter , Susan are first off the stairs, followed by Mrs. Garza's daughter, Mrs. Irma Trautman and her other daughter . Kathreen. Others at the top of the stairs are unidentified."

Lebanese Shi'a Amal hijackers seized Trans World Airlines Flight Flight 847 from Cairo to San Diego with in route stops in Athens, Rome, Boston, and Los Angeles. There were 153 people on the flight. The passengers and crew were forced to endure an inter-continental ordeal. Dozens of terrified passengers were held hostage over the next 2 weeks. Hijackers seized the flight shortly after the plane took off from Athens (June 14, 1985). The asociation of the hijackers has been questioned. The hijackers were commonly connected with Hezbollah, but Hezbollah denies any connection with the plot. The hijackers demanded the release of 700 Shi'ite Muslims from Israeli confinement. The plane was diverted from its original stop at Rome, in Greek airspace. The hijackers forced the pilot to head for the Beirut International Airport. Airort authorities at first refused permission to land, buty eventually relented. in Lebanon, where 19 passengers were allowed to leave in exchange for fuel. At the time, Lebanon was in the midst of the Lebanese Civil War, and Beirut was divided into sectors controlled by different Shia Amal militia and Hezbollah. That afternoon, the aircraft continued on across the Mediterranean to Algiers, where 20 passengers were released during a 5-hour stop before heading back to Beirut that night. Back at the Beirut, the hijackers threatened the passangers and beat some. They murdered American Navy diver Robert Stethem and dumped his lifeless body onto the tarmac. They separated the passengers with Jewish-sounding names (all Americans) from the other passangers. They were taken off the jet and held hostage in a Shi'ia prison in Beirut. Nearly a dozen well-armed men joined the hijackers. The plane took off again for Algiers the following day (June 15). At Algiers an additional 65 passengers and all five female cabin crew members were released. The hijackers reportedly wanted to fly to Tehran, but mysteriously returned to Beirut for a third time (June 16). here they remained, probably becvause they had support from Shi'ia militias in n the city. The incudent finally ended when the Isrealis freed 31 Lebanese prisoners.

Created: 3:52 AM 5/14/2019
Last updated: 3:52 AM 5/14/2019