1970 terrorist attack on a Boeing 727
Olympic Airways Flight 255
An Olympic Airways 727, similar to the one involved in the hijacking.
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Date
| 22 July 1970
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Summary
| Hijacking
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Site
| over
Rhodes
,
Greece
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Aircraft type
| Boeing 727
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Operator
| Olympic Airways
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Flight origin
| Beirut
,
Lebanon
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Destination
| Athens
,
Greece
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Passengers
| 47 (including 6 hijackers)
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Crew
| 8
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Fatalities
| 0
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Survivors
| 55
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On 22 July 1970,
Olympic Airways Flight 255
was hijacked by
Palestinian
terrorists over
Rhodes
, Greece, after it had taken off from
Beirut
, Lebanon en route to
Athens
, Greece. The hijackers demanded and successfully negotiated the release of seven Palestinian terrorists held in Greek prisons.
[1]
Hijacking
[
edit
]
The six-person commando of hijackers, belonging to the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
(PFLP) and/or the
Palestinian Popular Struggle Front
(PSF),
[2]
demanded the release of seven Palestinians held in Greek prisons for three terrorist incidents, the
El Al Flight 253 attack
, the attempted hijacking of a
TWA
flight on 21 December 1969, and the
1969 Athens airline office attack
.
[3]
The hijackers threatened to blow up the plane if their demands were not met.
[1]
In response to the hijacking, the owner of the airliner,
Aristotle Onassis
, flew to Athens, and along with
Stylianos Pattakos
, the Greek Deputy Premier and Interior Minister, and Justice Minister Anghelos Tsou, attempted to negotiate with the hijackers, with all three offering to exchange themselves as hostages with the passengers.
[1]
[4]
While their offers were rejected, it was through the mediation of the
International Red Cross
representative Andre Rochat at the Athens Airport,
[1]
[2]
that the Greek government eventually announced eight hours after the plane had landed that all the terrorists would be released within one month, while announcing that it had received assurances from Arab diplomats that Greece would never again be used for terrorist activities.
[1]
[3]
While the passengers were released in Athens, the hijackers subsequently ordered the flight flown to
Cairo
, Egypt with five crew members
[5]
and Rochat who had voluntarily offered himself as a captive as a voucher for the promised release of the seven terrorists.
[2]
The hijackers were greeted at the Cairo Airport by President
Gamal Abdel Nasser
and given a hero's welcome.
[6]
The plane was returned to Athens the next day.
[1]
The terrorists held in Greek prisons were eventually released in August,
[6]
despite objections from the
Israeli
government.
[7]
The submission of the Greek government to the hijackers' demands have been said to have encouraged a number of further hijackings,
[3]
notably including the
Dawson's Field hijackings
later the same year.
[8]
References
[
edit
]
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Within Israel
|
- Avivim school bus bombing
*
(May 22, 1970)
- Lod Airport massacre
(May 30, 1972)
- Kiryat Shmona massacre
*
(April 11, 1974)
- Ma'alot massacre
*
(May 15, 1974)
- Nahariya attack
*
(June 24?25, 1974)
- Beit She'an attack
(November 19, 1974)
- Savoy Hotel attack
*
(March 6, 1975)
- Kfar Yuval hostage crisis
*
(June 15, 1975)
- Zion Square refrigerator bombing
(July 4, 1975)
- Coastal Road massacre
*
(March 11, 1978)
- Nahariya massacre
*
(April 22, 1979)
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Within the Gaza Strip
| |
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Aircraft attacks and hijackings
|
- Swissair Flight 330
(February 21, 1970)
- Olympic Airways Flight 255 hijacking
(July 22, 1970)
- Dawson's Field hijackings
(September 6?13, 1970)
- Lufthansa Flight 649
(February 22?23, 1972)
- Sabena Flight 571
(May 8, 1972)
- Lufthansa Flight 615
(October 29, 1972)
- Rome airport attacks and hijacking
(December 17?18, 1973)
- TWA Flight 841
(September 8, 1974)
- Air France Flight 139
(June 27, 1976)
- Lufthansa Flight 181
(October 13?18, 1977)
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Worldwide
|
- Munich massacre
(September 5?6, 1972)
- Israeli Bangkok embassy hostage crisis
(December 28, 1972)
- Assassination of the Israeli attache in Washington
(July 1, 1973)
- Schoenau ultimatum
(September 28?29, 1973)
- Paris cafe attack
(September 15, 1974)
- Orly Airport attacks
(January, 1975)
- OPEC siege
(December 21, 1975)
- Ye?ilkoy airport attack
(August 11, 1976)
- Orly Airport attack
(May 20, 1978)
- London bus attack
(August 20, 1978)
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Aviation accidents and incidents in Greece
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1960s-1970s
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1980s-1990s
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Since 2000
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