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| The 80's History Project Terrorism Kuwaiti Airliner Hijackings December 4, 1984 Four terrorists belonging to the Islamic Jihad movement hijacked a Kuwaiti airliner and demanded that it be flown to Tehran, Iran. Two airline employees were killed during the hijacking, and two more people, another airline official and an American businessman, were subjected to torture. After a five day stalemate, Iranian troops stormed the plane, retaking it from the hijackers. April 5, 1988 In a similar act of terror, gunmen hijacked a Kuwaiti airliner en route from Thailand to Kuwait. The terrorists ordered the plane to be landed in Iran. They demanded the release of 17 Shiite radicals being held in Kuwait, and they threatened to blow up the plane, along with 3 members of the kuwaiti royal family on board, unless their demands were met. The hijackers then released 24 female passengers and one man who had a heart condition. The following day, they released 32 more hostages. Then things took a turn for the worse. After forcing the Iranian authorities to refuel the plane, the hijackers took the flight to Cypress. While on Cyprus, the terrorists released one additonal passenger, but then killed two to force the Cypriot authorities to refuel the plane. On April 13th, the gunmen took the plane to Algeria, where they released thier remaining hostages and surrendered. |