Italian Cruise Ship Hijacked By Palestinian Militia In Today's History, October 7, 1985

Hostages aboard the Achille Lauro (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - On October 7, 1985, four Palestinian Defenders Front (PLF) militia hijacked the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro off the coast of Egypt. The cruise ship sailed from Alexandria, Egypt, to Ashdod, Israel. The four of them easily took control of the ship because there were no security forces on board.

Quoting Britannica, the PLF is the terrorist wing of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) led by Abu Abbas. Abbas was responsible for attacks on Israel and its citizens in the early 1980s.

On several occasions, he sent men in gliders and hot air balloons on bombing missions to Israel, but all failed. In an attempt to save his reputation, Abbas ordered the hijacking of Achille Lauro. However, no specific goals or demands were set for the mission.

Initially, the four PLF members demanded that Israel release their fellow PLF members who were imprisoned and trying to enter Syrian ports. But Syria refused the request, and the terrorists lost control of the situation.

They then gathered tourists from the United States (US) who were on the cruise and chose to kill Leon Klinghoffer, a US Jew. Klinghoffer is a 69-year-old in a wheelchair. He was shot in the head and thrown into the sea.

Achille Lauro Cruise Ship (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Klinghoffer's assassination backfired on the four PLF members. World outrage forced PLO chief Yasser Arafat to sever PLO ties with the PLF. Yasser Arafat demanded Abbas end the situation. On October 9, Abbas contacted the hijackers, ordering them not to kill any more passengers. He also arranged for the ship to dock in Egypt.

The hijackers then directed Achille Lauro back to the port of Port Said in Egypt. They established radio contact with Egyptian authorities and began negotiations as they approached the coast on October 9. In exchange for freeing the hostages, the hijackers demanded safe passage through Egypt and immunity from prosecution. Egypt agreed and at 5 pm the men headed for Port Said.

Hijacker Execution

Although the Egyptian side claims that the hijackers left the country, US intelligence reports suggest they are in hiding. Until finally the point of the plane that was used to escape was found. US President Ronald Reagan gave orders to intercept him. On the evening of October 10, US fighter jets blocked the plane and forced it to land at the NATO airbase in Sigonella, Sicily, an autonomous region of Italy.

The Italians had only been notified of the maneuver a few minutes earlier, as the US hoped to gain the right to execute the hijackers. This created tension between US and Italian troops. After a stalemate that lasted more than five hours, the US handed over jurisdiction to Italy on guarantees that the hijackers were prosecuted for Klinghoffer's murder.

Illustration (Maxim Hopman/Unsplash)

The "seizure" of the four hijackers was because both countries felt they had the right to make arrests. The hijackers killed US citizens, while the killings took place aboard an Italian-owned ship. Italy at that time explained why his country had more rights. By law, a ship is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the country whose flag flies over it. This means that even though the victim died as a US citizen, the Klinghoffer murder case remains subject to Italian authorities.

In 1986 four hijackers, Youssef Magied al-Molqui, Ahmad Marrouf al-Assadi, Ibrahim Fatayer Abdelatif, and Bassam al-Askar, were tried in Italy along with 11 of his accomplices. The mastermind, Abu Abbas, was also tried but in absentia. The three hijackers received sentences ranging from 15 to 30 years in prison. Meanwhile, Bassam al-Askar, who was 17 at the time, was tried in a separate trial. Abu Abbas also acknowledged his role in the hijacking. He was in Iraq during the 2003 invasion.

Abu Abbas died in 2004 of natural causes while incarcerated in an Iraqi prison. He was detained amid discussions about his legal status and whether he could be tried in the US or elsewhere. Most of the US anti-terrorism laws with extraterritorial provisions have been enacted after the piracy. The Italian government, although it has sentenced Abbas to five consecutive life sentences in absentia, has not asked for his extradition.

*Read other information about TODAY's HISTORY or read other interesting articles from Putri Ainur Islam.

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