Achille+Lauro+hijacked

=Achille Lauro Hijacked=

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==Overview==

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The Achille Lauro was a cr uise ship that operated out of Naples, Italy. The hijacking took place on October 7, 1985, of the coast of Alexandria, Egypt, when four heavily armed Palestinian terrorists took over the ship, along with its 320 crew members and 80 passengers taken hostage. The ship was carrying more passengers, but many had gone onto land to view Egypt and the pyramids at the time of the hijacking. The hijackers stated that they were apart of the Palestine Liberation Front; they demanded the release of 50 prisoners held in Israel. The terrorist were going to blow up the ship and kill and the American passengers a decision was not decided upon.======

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After demanding further negotiations on October 8, the terrorist killed 69-year-old Leon Klinghoffer, an elderly passenger aboard, and threw him overboard while still in his wheelchair. They did this to prove that they were serious. On October 9, the hijacked traveled to Port Said, where further negotiations were to be held. The hijackers allowed all the passengers to be safely released, in exchange for a safe flight to an unknown location. On October 10, the terrorists boarded an EgyptAir Boeing 737 airliner headed for Tunisia. After hearing word that a passenger had been killed in the hijacking of the ship, President Ronald Reagan gave the order to intercept the plane and to arrest the hijackers. Being surrounded by F-14 Tomcat fighters, the plane landed at NATO base in Sicily. ======

==Conclusion / Historical Significance==

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This incident was a major act of terrorism. The hijacking led to disagreements between Italian and American leaders as the sentences of the hijackers. In the following year, three of the hijackers were tried in court and sentenced to 15-30 years in prison. The masterminds behind the hijacking were sentenced to life long terms in prison.======