The survivors of the Pan Am Flight 73 hijacking of 1986 have just filed a $10B reparations suit against the government of Libya because of information which came out in 2004 about Libya’s role:
… the lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia, and it seeks $10 billion in compensatory damages, as well as unspecified punitive damages, from Libya, its long-time leader, Muammar Qadhafi, and the five convicted militants, all of whom were members of the notorious group Abu Nidal Organisation (ANO). [Link]
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p>The Bombay-Karachi-Frankfurt-JFK flight was taken over in Karachi by a Middle Eastern terror group called Abu Nidal. Four men dressed as Pakistani security guards and bristling with arms got on board the Boeing 747. Twenty people were massacred on board:The hijackers had intended to crash the jumbo jet into Tel Aviv
Flight attendants were able to alert the cockpit crew using intercom, allowing the pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer to escape through a hatch in the cockpit, effectively grounding the aircraft…… flight attendants surreptitiously declined to collect some of the United States passports and hid other United States passports from the hijackers… [Link]
Sometimes it’s better to be a citizen of a subcontinental country:
When [Jordanian terrorist Zayd Safarini] arrived at the seat of Rajesh Kumar, a 29-year-old California resident who had recently been naturalized as an American citizen, Safarini ordered Kumar to go to the front doorway of the aircraft and to kneel with his hands behind his head… Shortly thereafter he shot Kumar in the head and pushed him out the door onto the tarmac below… [Link]Surviving passenger Jay Grantier, a resident of the state of Washington, said, “This was an attack on America. The terrorists murdered their first victim because he was an American, and when they ordered the cabin crew to collect all our passports, it was pretty obvious that they intended to kill more of us in the hours to come.” [Link]
Shortly afterward, the massacre continued:
… after the hijackers recited a martyrdom prayer in Arabic… the four hijackers opened fire on the passengers and crew, and threw grenades among them. At least 20 passengers and crew died during this assault and scores were injured. Most of the survivors escaped through two doors of the plane which were forced open when the firing began…
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p>The story of flight purser Neerja Bhanot is especially inspiring:
… she applied for a flight attendant’s job with Pan Am. Upon selection, she went to Miami for training as a flight attendant but returned as purser…Neerja rushed towards the cockpit to inform the captain. A terrorist caught her by her ponytail but she managed to shout the ‘hijack code’. Another flight attendant who caught the code conveyed it ahead… the three-member cockpit crew of pilot, co-pilot and the flight engineer abandoned the aircraft… [Link]
She hid the passports of the passengers on the flight so that the hijackers could not differentiate between American and Non-American citizens. She laid down her life while shielding three children from the bullets fired by the terrorists. [Link]Neerja is the first and only woman recipient of the Ashok Chakra (India’s highest civilian award for bravery). She was also awarded the Tagme-e-Insaniyat (Pakistan), the flight Safety Foundation Award and the Medal of Heroism of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (U.S.A.). [Link]
Most of the terrorists are now in jail in Pakistan:
Safarini served 15 years in prison in Pakistan before being released in late September 2001, only to be arrested the following day by United States law enforcement personnel… [he was] taken to the United States where in 2004 he was sentenced to a 160 year prison term. [Link]The four other terrorists remain in Pakistani jails, and the United States has attempted to extradite them for prosecution in Washington, D.C. [Link]
Libya was directly involved:
In addition to the 20 passengers and crew who were killed, many were severely maimed, blinded, or disfigured by bullets, grenades, and shrapnel…The U.S. publicly stated that Libya provided the ANO with material support for the hijacking and also ordered the attack as part of its terrorist campaign against American, European, and Israeli interests. [Link]
… “Libya has attempted to get off the list of state sponsors of terrorism and earn some sort of legitimate place in the world. But the victims remember. We are still here, and we are not standing down until we achieve justice. We owe this to the memory of the 20 innocent people who were murdered that day.” [Link]
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p>Al Qaeda learned from this incident to bring along its own pilots. But the American president claimed after 9/11 that a suicide attack using a jetliner was novel and unforeseen — a full 15 years after the Pan Am hijack:
… the hijackers had intended to fly the jumbo jet to Israel and crash it into the city of Tel Aviv… Without pilots, the hijackers could not get the aircraft off the ground. [Link]
Neerja’s Dad Harish Bhanot was a veteran of the Bombay press corps and much beloved. Uncle represented the Hindustan Times for many years. Neerja’s brother Anish is a pioneer in the field of financial product advertising. The Ashok Chakra is India’s highest peacetime award for gallantry.
Interesting story Manish. Thanks for posting.
The US had even more concrete information that this tactic was in the works when they found out in 1995 about Project Bojinka
If this was not enough actionable information for the US President to have authorized a full scale operation against Al Qaeda in 1995, over 6 years before 9/11, I don’t know what is…
Wow, Neerja’s story is definitely inspiring. Thanks for this post, Manish.
My friends were on that flight. We went to the airport to meet them after they were back safely. I was very young but remember the fear vividly.
I hope this is a reminder to all those [Columbia University’s Rashid Khalidi, Lionel Richie etc] who are in a rush to rehabilitate the arch terrorist Muammar Qaddafi. He has a long way to go before he can appeal for acceptance by the West.
HAHAHAHA sure it was a long way musharraf had to go. he could do what musharraf did, remember IA hijacking from nepal where mushie chacha said it was indian intelligence that did it themselves.
Qaddaffis only mistake was killing some whites. If he terrorized more black africans no one would have cared.
Does anyone know of a good, reliable, credible one-stop shop for all events like this?
he three-member cockpit crew of pilot, co-pilot and the flight engineer abandoned the aircraftÂ…
wha?
Thanks Manish, great post.
she wasn’t even that old…
Right on the money.
Is there such thing as jurisdiction apply to such law suits?? Lawyers amongst SMers educate me. To me this sounds totally frivilous. Its equivalent to me suing the British goverment for taking away land from my ancestors.
Is there such thing as jurisdiction apply to such law suits??…Its equivalent to me suing the British goverment for taking away land from my ancestors.
RC- In general states cannot be sued in US courts; I’m guessing the suit’s been brought under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act under which Americans can sue foreign states designated as terrorist states by the US government. The more interesting question is how the plaintiffs will collect damages if they win. I doubt (but have no facts to back me up and am too lazy to google) the US govt has control over anywhere near even $1B worth of Libyan assets that it can freeze
interesting story. glad you posted it.
If there would had been another Neerja..perhaps Kandhar (hijacked) would not happened. And Maulana Ajar Mahmhood and others could sentenced dead if not in India then atleast in US.
I was traveling alone and Ms. Bhanot is the only person that gave me (a teenager at the time) strength and stamina to get through the ordeal. Mrs. Mishra, as she was named then-I think, still is in my mind after all these years. The calm, the composed and the cool. She saved a lot of people that day but in time of crisis, she still saves me till this day. As far as those who shot her are concerned, I will bloody well chop thousands of them a**holes in pieces and send off to Mecca for one Neerja. Over and out.
Mrugesh Patel