Hijacking of Sabena Flight 572
Encyclopedia
Sabena Flight 571 was a scheduled passenger flight from Vienna
to Tel Aviv
operated by the Belgian national airline, Sabena
. On May 8, 1972 a Boeing 707
passenger aircraft
operating that service, and captained by the Englishman, Reginald Levy, DFC
, was hijacked by four terrorists from the Black September
organization and landed at Lod Airport (later Ben Gurion International Airport
) near Lod
, although that was the planned destination anyway.
The attack was planned by Ali Hassan Salameh
and carried out by a group of two men and two women, armed with pistols, led by Ali Taha
Twenty minutes out of Vienna, the hijackers rushed the cockpit. "As you can see," Captain Levy told the 90 passengers, "we have friends aboard". While the passengers and the captain waited, hoping that something would happen and lead to their safety, Reginald Levy talked about everything "from navigation to sex" with the terrorists.
The hijackers demanded the release of 315 convicted Palestinian terrorists who were imprisoned in Israel
, and threatened to blow up the airplane with its passengers. Seeing the terrorists crying and hugging each other goodbye, Reginald Levy managed to send a message and ask for help to be delivered as soon as possible. The security minister Moshe Dayan
, conducted negotiations with the terrorists while also making preparations for a rescue operation, code-named "Operation Isotope".
On May 9, 1972 at 4:00 p.m. the rescue operation began: a team of 16 Sayeret Matkal
commandos, led by Ehud Barak
and including Benjamin Netanyahu
, both future Israeli Prime Ministers
, approached the airplane. The commandos were disguised as airplane technicians in white overalls, and were able to convince the terrorists that the aircraft
needed repair. The commandos stormed the aircraft and took control of the plane in ten minutes, killing both male hijackers and capturing the two women. All the passengers were rescued. Three of the passengers, however, were wounded in the takeover, with one female passenger eventually dying from her wounds. Netanyahu was wounded during the rescue, presumably by friendly fire.
The two female surviving terrorists were sentenced to life imprisonment
, but were later freed as part of a prisoner exchange
following the Lebanon War
.
The hijacked airplane itself continued to be operated by Sabena for another five years before being purchased by Israel Aircraft Industries
. They eventually sold the airplane to the Israeli Air Force
, where it served as a spy plane for many years and participated in most of the Air Force's long range operations.
Captain Levy, having flown RAF
bombing missions
over Germany and taken part in the Berlin airlift, had joined Sabena in 1952. He retired in 1982 and died, from a heart attack, at a hospital near his home in Dover
on 1 August 2010. The hijacking took place on his 50th birthday.
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
to Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
operated by the Belgian national airline, Sabena
Sabena
SABENA was the national airline of Belgium from 1923 to 2001, with its base at Brussels National Airport. After its bankruptcy in 2001, the newly formed SN Brussels Airlines took over part of SABENA's assets in February 2002, which then became Brussels Airlines...
. On May 8, 1972 a Boeing 707
Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
passenger aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
operating that service, and captained by the Englishman, Reginald Levy, DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
, was hijacked by four terrorists from the Black September
Black September (group)
The Black September Organization was a Palestinian paramilitary group, founded in 1970. It was responsible for the kidnapping and murder of eleven Israeli athletes and officials, and fatal shooting of a West German policeman, during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, their most publicized event...
organization and landed at Lod Airport (later Ben Gurion International Airport
Ben Gurion International Airport
Ben Gurion International Airport , also referred to by its Hebrew acronym Natbag , is the largest and busiest international airport in Israel, handling 12,160,339 passengers in 2010...
) near Lod
Lod
Lod is a city located on the Sharon Plain southeast of Tel Aviv in the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2010, it had a population of 70,000, roughly 75 percent Jewish and 25 percent Arab.The name is derived from the Biblical city of Lod...
, although that was the planned destination anyway.
The attack was planned by Ali Hassan Salameh
Ali Hassan Salameh
Ali Hassan Salameh was the chief of operations—code name Abu Hassan—for Black September, the organization responsible for the 1972 Munich massacre and other attacks. He was also the founder of Force 17...
and carried out by a group of two men and two women, armed with pistols, led by Ali Taha
Twenty minutes out of Vienna, the hijackers rushed the cockpit. "As you can see," Captain Levy told the 90 passengers, "we have friends aboard". While the passengers and the captain waited, hoping that something would happen and lead to their safety, Reginald Levy talked about everything "from navigation to sex" with the terrorists.
The hijackers demanded the release of 315 convicted Palestinian terrorists who were imprisoned in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, and threatened to blow up the airplane with its passengers. Seeing the terrorists crying and hugging each other goodbye, Reginald Levy managed to send a message and ask for help to be delivered as soon as possible. The security minister Moshe Dayan
Moshe Dayan
Moshe Dayan was an Israeli military leader and politician. The fourth Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces , he became a fighting symbol to the world of the new State of Israel...
, conducted negotiations with the terrorists while also making preparations for a rescue operation, code-named "Operation Isotope".
On May 9, 1972 at 4:00 p.m. the rescue operation began: a team of 16 Sayeret Matkal
Sayeret Matkal
Sayeret Matkal is a special forces unit of the Israel Defence Forces , which is subordinated to the intelligence directorate Aman. First and foremost a field intelligence-gathering unit, conducting deep reconnaissance behind enemy lines to obtain strategic intelligence, Sayeret Matkal is also...
commandos, led by Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak is an Israeli politician who served as Prime Minister from 1999 until 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until January 2011 and holds the posts of Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister in Binyamin Netanyahu's government....
and including Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
, both future Israeli Prime Ministers
Prime Minister of Israel
The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...
, approached the airplane. The commandos were disguised as airplane technicians in white overalls, and were able to convince the terrorists that the aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
needed repair. The commandos stormed the aircraft and took control of the plane in ten minutes, killing both male hijackers and capturing the two women. All the passengers were rescued. Three of the passengers, however, were wounded in the takeover, with one female passenger eventually dying from her wounds. Netanyahu was wounded during the rescue, presumably by friendly fire.
The two female surviving terrorists were sentenced to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
, but were later freed as part of a prisoner exchange
Prisoner exchange
A prisoner exchange or prisoner swap is a deal between opposing sides in a conflict to release prisoners. These may be prisoners of war, spies, hostages, etc...
following the Lebanon War
1982 Lebanon War
The 1982 Lebanon War , , called Operation Peace for Galilee by Israel, and later known in Israel as the Lebanon War and First Lebanon War, began on 6 June 1982, when the Israel Defense Forces invaded southern Lebanon...
.
The hijacked airplane itself continued to be operated by Sabena for another five years before being purchased by Israel Aircraft Industries
Israel Aircraft Industries
Israel Aerospace Industries or IAI is Israel's prime aerospace and aviation manufacturer, producing aerial systems for both military and civilian usage. It has 16,000 employees as of 2007...
. They eventually sold the airplane to the Israeli Air Force
Israeli Air Force
The Israeli Air Force is the air force of the State of Israel and the aerial arm of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence...
, where it served as a spy plane for many years and participated in most of the Air Force's long range operations.
Captain Levy, having flown RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
bombing missions
Strategic bombing during World War II
Strategic bombing during World War II is a term which refers to all aerial bombardment of a strategic nature between 1939 and 1945 involving any nations engaged in World War II...
over Germany and taken part in the Berlin airlift, had joined Sabena in 1952. He retired in 1982 and died, from a heart attack, at a hospital near his home in Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
on 1 August 2010. The hijacking took place on his 50th birthday.