TWA Flight 847 was an international Trans World Airlines flight which was hijacked by the Organization for the Oppressed of the Earth, a group with alleged links to Hezbollah, on Friday morning, June 14, 1985, while flying from Athens, Greece to Rome, Italy, from where it was scheduled to travel on to London. The aircraft with its passengers and crew endured a three-day intercontinental ordeal during which one passenger, a U.S. Navy diver, was killed. Dozens of passengers were then held hostage over the next two weeks, until released by their captors. TWA 847 June 14 1985 Athens, 2 Hijackers inside flightdeck with Capt. ... Trans World Airlines (IATA: TW, ICAO: TWA, and Callsign: TWA), commonly known as TWA, was an American airline company that was acquired by American Airlines in April 2001. ... Hijackers inside flightdeck of TWA Flight 847 Aircraft 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, see Hezbollah (disambiguation). ... June 14 is the 165th day of the year (166th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see Athens (disambiguation). ... The Roman Colosseum Rome (Italian and Latin Roma) is the capital city of Italy, and of its Lazio region. ... London — containing the City of London — is the capital of the United Kingdom and of England and a major world city. With over seven million inhabitants (Londoners) in Greater London area, it is amongst the most densely populated areas in Western Europe. ...

Hijacking events

Piloted by Captain John Testrake, the Boeing 727, tail number N64339 ^[1], departed at 10:10 am, carrying 153 passengers and crew, including flight engineer Benjamin C. Zimmermann, ^[2] co-pilot Philip G. Maresca, and flight attendant Uli Derickson. The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine commercial jet airliner. ... Flight attendant in an Embraer ERJ 145 LR (PBair, Thailand) Stewardess, circa 1949-50, American Overseas, Flagship Denmark, Boeing Stratocruiser In aviation, flight attendants—also known as sky girls, air hostesses, stewardesses or stewards—are members of a flight crew employed by airlines to ensure the safety of the passengers... Ulrike Patzelt (August 8, 1944 – February 18, 2005), better known as Uli Derickson, was a flight attendant during the June 14, 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847 by Hezbollah terrorists. ...

It was commandeered shortly after takeoff by two Lebanese men who had smuggled pistols and grenades through the Athens airport security. A third intended hijacker, Ali Atwa, had been bumped from the flight and was later arrested in Greece. Ali Atwa Ali Atwa (born about 1960) is a Lebanese national and member of the Islamist organization Hezbollah. ...

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. During this time, Lebanon was in the midst of a civil war, and Beirut was divided into sectors controlled by different militias. A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... There is also a drinking game alternately refered to as Beirut or Beer Pong. ... Combatants Lebanese Front Syria LNM PLO Commanders Bachir Gemayel Dany Chamoun Kamal Jumblatt Yasser Arafat The multi-sided Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990) had its origin in the conflicts and political compromises after the end of Lebanons administration by the Ottoman Empire and was exacerbated by the nations...

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. For other uses, see Algiers (disambiguation). ... North Africa is the Mediterranean, northernmost region of the African continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa. ...

Back to Beirut

The Beirut International Airport, surrounded by a Shiite neighborhood, had no perimeter security and nearby residents could simply drive onto the runway. During this stop, the hijackers identified an American Navy diver, Robert Stethem, among the passengers. They beat him, shot him in the right temple, and dumped his body out of the plane onto the tarmac. Several passengers with Jewish-sounding names were taken off the plane, but not released. Terminal Overview Beirut International Airport is an airport located in Beirut, Lebanon. ... Shi‘as (the adjective in Arabic is شيعى shi‘i; English has traditionally used Shiite) which mean follower in Arabic make up the second largest sect of believers in Islam, constituting about 30%-35% of all Muslim. ... Robert Stethem (November 17, 1961 – June 15, 1985) was a United States Navy diver and steelworker second class. ...

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. It returned to Beirut for a third time, landing on Sunday afternoon, June 16, and remained there. is the 166th day of the year (167th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The initial demands of the hijackers included:

• the release of all Lebanese captured by Israel in Lebanon;
• 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. Rumors in Beirut suggested that the car bombing, which had killed 80 people, was linked to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.

The Greek government released the accomplice Ali Atwa and in exchange the hijackers released eight Greek citizens, including Greek pop singer Demis Roussos, a Greek pop singer. is the 67th day of the year (68th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ... The Beirut car bombing of March 8, 1985, killed 85 people and wounded more than 200 in Beirut, Lebanon. ... The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an intelligence agency of the United States government. ... Demis Roussos in his 40s 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. The 40 remaining hostages were protected by Nabih Berri, the chief of the Amal militia and the then Minister of Justice in the fractured Lebanon cabinet. 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. The hostages then boarded a U.S. Air Force plane and flew to West Germany. The liberation of the hostages was followed by the release of 735 Lebanese Shiite militants by Israel. is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Nabih Berri Nabih Berri (born January 28, 1938) is the speaker of the Lebanese National Assembly. ... For other uses of Amal, see the disambiguation page. ... June 30 is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Seal of the Air Force. ...

Aftermath

The iconic image of this hijacking was the photograph showing a terrorist holding a gun to the pilot's head (sticking out of the cockpit window) as the pilot is being questioned by reporters.^{[citation needed]}

Flight attendant Uli Derickson was widely credited with calming the hijackers and saving the lives of many passengers. 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. 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. Ulrike Patzelt (August 8, 1944 – February 18, 2005), better known as Uli Derickson, was a flight attendant during the June 14, 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847 by Hezbollah terrorists. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... A Shell petrol station sign in the UK The Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies (called Shell Oil in North America), has its headquarters split between the Shell Centre in London, United Kingdom and The Hague, Netherlands. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination...

Israel released some of its Shiite prisoners within a month after the hijacking ended. They stated that the release was unrelated to the hijacking and had long been planned.

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 terrorist fugitives announced by President George W. Bush to be placed on the newly formed FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list. Rewards of $5 million for information leading to their arrests and convictions still are being offered by the United States. October 10 is the 283rd day of the year (284th in leap years). ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Imad Fayez Mugniyah (born December 7, 1962) is a senior member of the Lebanese terrorist group Hizbullah. ... Ali Atwa Ali Atwa (born about 1960) is a Lebanese national and member of the Islamist organization Hezbollah. ... Hasan Izz-Al-Din (born about 1963) is an Lebanese national wanted by the United States government. ... Map of the boundaries of the United States Courts of Appeals and United States District Courts The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. ... Banner used by the FBI since inception on October 10, 2001 as the main title for the web site pages of both the group of wanted terrorists, and also on the wanted poster of each terrorist fugitive. ...

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. 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. ^{[3] [4]} 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. ^[5] On February 24, 2006, he appeared as well on the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list, under the name Mohammed Ali Hamadei. He was among the second group of indicted fugitives to be named by the FBI to the list. ^[6] All four fugitives from TWA Flight 847 remain on the list, and at large. Mohammed Ali Hammadi aka Mohammed Ali Hamadi, is a man of Lebanese origin and a member of the Hezbollah group that is accused of being involved in the 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847 and the subsequent murder of American Navy diver Robert Stethem. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Frankfurt am Main [ˈfraŋkfʊrt] is the largest city in the German state of Hessen and the fifth largest city of Germany. ... December 20 is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... February 24 is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

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 four 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." Wanted poster for John Wilkes Booth and accomplices for the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. ...

References in popular culture

• The 1986 movie The Delta Force was loosely based on this event.
• The 1988 made for TV movie The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story was directly based on this event.

Official force name 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Airborne) 1st SFOD-D (A) Combat Application Group (CAG) Delta Force Nicknames D-boys Delta boys Deltas Branch U.S. Army Chain of Command USASOC Description Versatile Special Operations Force, mainly trained for counter-terrorism. ...

References

1. ^ http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19850614-0
2. ^ See Hostage in a Hostage World: Hope aboard Hijacked TWA 847 (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1985) for Zimmermann's account of this experience.
3. ^ Germany paroles terrorist after 19-year term, MSNBC.MSN.com"
4. ^ Will Germany Release an American-Killer?, January 27, 2004
5. ^ US 'seeks justice' for hijacker, BBC News
6. ^ FBI Updates Most Wanted Terrorists and Seeking Information – War on Terrorism Lists, FBI national Press Release, February 24, 2006

January 27 is the 27th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 24 is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

See also

• Fawaz Younis

Fawaz Younis, also called Fawaz Yunis, and also known as Nazeeh, was born in 1959. ...

External links

• Rewards for Justice Flight TWA 847 page
• FBI Most Wanted Terrorists at fbi.gov web site
• Uli Derickson - Legacy of Courage