Published 10:47 IST, September 22nd 2019
TWA Flight 847 aircraft hijacking suspect arrested by Greek police
TWA Flight 847 aircraft hijacking suspect arrested by Greek police. On June 14, 1985, the flight after taking off from Athens was forced to land in Beirut.
On September 22, the Greek police have reported a 65-year-old Lebanese man suspected of being involved in the hijacking of an American airline in 1985 has been taken into custody. The identity of the man is yet to be disclosed. He was kept on Mykonos after he tried escaping from a cruise ship on September 19. According to international media reports, the man was identified as wanted by the German police after his passport check.
Hijacker of TWA Flight 847 arrested
The TWA Flight 847 was hijacked by the militants who were considered part of the Islamist group Hezbollah. Hezbollah later denied this claim. During the hijack, a US navy diver was killed according to international media. Later in 1987, the Lebanese man was arrested by the German police accused of hijacking and abduction. He is currently being held in a high-security jail in Greece until German authorities distinguish him as the individual needed as reported by the international agency.
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TWA Flight 847 Hijacking
The Trans World Airlines flight was routed from Cairo to San Diego. The flight was scheduled to stop at Athens, Rome, Boston, and Los Angeles. On June 14, 1985, the flight was hijacked and forced to land in Beirut after taking off from Athens. According to reports, the airline was flying with 153 passengers and the cabin crew. Everyone was kept hostage for 17 days. It was reported that the hostages were kept tied and beaten up by the hijackers. In exchange, they demanded the release of several Lebanese Shia detainees who were kept in Israel's custody.
The German Trial
Reports say that the hijacker was caught by the German Police, two years later. The accused was put on trial in Germany. Later he was exchanged with two German men who had been kidnapped in Beirut.
There was a total of four people involved in the hijacking.
More on TWA Flight 847 Hijacking
In the tragic incident, Robert Dean Stethem, one of the hostages, the 23-year-old US naval diver was shot dead. His body was brutally thrown onto the tarmac at Beirut airport. It was only later that the prisoners were released.
The FBI reported that four people were involved in Hijacking. One of the hijackers Mohammed Ali Hamadei was arrested in Germany in 1987 and later released in 1987. Imad Mughniyeg died in a 2008 bombing attack in Damascus. The other two Hassan Izz-Al-Din and Ali Atwa, are still on FBI's most-wanted list. In a release, FBI announced a reward of $5 million for information leading to the accused.
Updated 15:37 IST, September 22nd 2019