TWA Flight 847 Hijacking - Beirut, Lebanon - June 13, 1985
On June 14, 1985, terrorists associated with Hezbollah hijacked TWA Flight 847, which was traveling from Athens, Greece to Rome, Italy. The terrorists first diverted the flight to Beirut, Lebanon, where several passengers were released in exchange for fuel. The plane then departed for Algiers, Algeria, where more passengers were released before the plane returned to Beirut.
In Beirut, the terrorists identified a U.S. Navy diver, Robert Stethem. The terrorists beat and shot Stethem, then dumped his body onto the tarmac. In Beirut, 12 more armed men entered the plane before it returned to Algiers, where 65 more passengers were released.
Finally, the flight returned again to Beirut, where it remained until June 30, when the remaining passengers were driven to Syria. In Syria, they boarded a U.S. Air Force plane and were flown to West Germany. The terrorists responsible for this attack include Ali Atwa, Hasan Izz-al-Din, Mohammed Ali Hamadei, and several others.
The Rewards for Justice program is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information that brings to justice those responsible for this attack.
