Air France Hijacking Ends in Bloodshed as French Police Conduct Lightning Attack

Strategic Insights -

A dramatic 54-hour standoff between an Islamic terrorist group and French authorities came to a violent end yesterday when police commandos, the GIGN unit, stormed a hijacked Air France Airbus in Marseille, killing four terrorists and freeing 170 hostages. The operation, described as "exemplary" by French Prime Minister Edouard Balladur, resulted in the deaths of nine police officers, with two critically injured, and 16 passengers and crew taken to the hospital, five with bullet wounds.

Key Takeaways:

  • The hijacking, carried out by the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), began on Christmas Eve at Algiers airport and lasted for 14 hours, during which three passengers were executed by terrorists.
  • The terrorists, who had demanded to fly to Paris, killed a French embassy employee and a Vietnamese diplomat before the plane took off from Algiers at 2am, with 170 people on board.
  • French authorities, led by Prime Minister Balladur, denied giving more than economic aid to the Algerian government, but reliable sources claim that France has provided night-fighting equipment to Algeria's military.
  • The attack was prompted by an ultimatum to murder a fourth hostage, with Balladur stating, "We are not going to yield to terrorism."
  • The incident has sparked concerns about the spread of Algeria's civil war to France, with the French foreign minister, Alain Juppe, announcing plans to reinforce security measures.

Statistics:

  • 170 people were on board the hijacked Air France Airbus, including 40 French nationals.
  • Four terrorists were killed in the GIGN operation, while nine police officers were injured, with two critically.
  • 16 passengers and crew were taken to the hospital, five with bullet wounds.
  • Since Algeria banned the Islamic Salvation Front in 1992, government forces have killed thousands of people.
  • Islamic terrorists have killed 24 French residents, including diplomats, in the last two years.

Sources:

  • PAUL WEBSTER in Paris
  • The Times (no date)