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Bombings, Shootings,
and other Attacks at Airports



1969 February 18th. - Switzerland, Zurich: the attack of an EL AL plane by 4 terrorists was prevented by an on-board Security officer; in the ensuing gun-battle 2 people, including 1 terrorist died

1970 February 10th
. - Germany, Munich-Airport: three terrorists attacked El Al passengers in an airport transit bus en route from the terminal building to the aircraft. Handgrenades and firearms were used; 1 passenger was killed and 11 others injured.

1972 May 30th.
- Israel, Tel Aviv Airport: three members of the radical Japanese Red Army (JRA) group arrived on Air France flight, and opened fire with automatic weapons in the arrival lounge, killing 26 people, 16 of them pilgrims from Puerto Rico, and injuring 78 others. One of the terrorists ran out of ammunition. A second terrorist committed suicide by pulling the pin on a grenade and detonating it against his body. The third terrorist, Kozo Okamoto, was captured while attempting to flee the terminal.
Okamoto was the younger brother of Takedia Okamoto, one of the JRA terrorists who hijacked a Japan Airlines flight to North Korea in 1970. Kozo Okamoto was sentenced to life imprisonment in Israel, but was released in 1983 as part of a prisoner exchange with Palestinian militant factions. He reportedly dropped from sight in Beirut, and reportedly reunited with his former JRA comrades.

1973 December 17th.
- Italy, Rome Airport: five Palestinian terrorists began shooting as they pulled weapons from their luggage in the terminal lounge. Two people were killed there. The assailants then made their way to an American Airlines 707 preparing to take off for Beirut and Teheran. Hurling incendiary devices inside the aircraft, they killed all 29 people aboard and destroyed the plane. Next, they herded five Italian hostages into a Lufthansa jetliner and killed a sixth person, an Italian customs policeman, as he tried to escape. The plane, carrying the hostages, crew, and terrorists, took off and the pilot was ordered to head for Beirut. Lebanese officials refused to allow the plane to land, however, and it flew on to land in Athens..

In negotiations with Greek authorities, the group demanded the release of two Arab terrorists held since August 1973 for an attack on the Athens airport. (It is unclear whether the Greek government refused to release the terrorists or whether, after their release, the two Arabs refused to join the terrorists, as they were from a rival Palestinian group.)

In an effort to gain compliance with their demands, the terrorists killed one of the hostages and threw his body onto the tarmac before leaving Athens. The pilot had urged Greek authorities to meet the terrorists' demands, reporting that four other hostages had been killed. (He was unaware that it was a hoax designed to place more pressure on the Greek authorities.) The plane then flew to Damascus where it took on fuel and food during a two-hour stop. Later that day, after landing in Kuwait, the terrorists released their hostages in return for free passage to an unknown destination.

1974 August 6th.
- USA, California, Los Angeles International Airport: Bomb exploded near the PanAm ticketing area at Terminal 2; at least 17 people were injured and 2 persons died.

1976 August 11th. - Turkey, Istanbul, Yesilkoy Airport: two Palestinian terrorists attacked passengers who waited to board an El Al plane; 4 people died and more than 30 were injured.

1985 June 19th.
- Germany, Frankfurt: bomb exploded in the main terminal area; 3 people died, 42 were injured

1985 December 27th.
- Italy, Rome, Leonardo da Vinci Airport: 4 terrorists enter the check in area of EL-AL, TWA, and PanAm and start firing with submachine guns and throwing grenades into the crowd; 14 people were killed (including 3 attackers) and 70 injured.

1985 December 27th.
- Austria, Vienna, Schwechat Airport: 3 terrorists attack waiting passengers at the El-Al lounge with machine guns and handgrenades; 3 persons were killed (including 1 gunman) and 47 were injured.

1986 September 14th. - South Korea, Seoul, Kimpo Airport: bomb explosion; 5 people died and 26 were injured.

1992 August 28th. - Algeria, Algiers Airport: bombing attack; 9 people died and 128 were injured.

2001 February 10th.
- India, Calcutta International Airport: near an immigration counter just after officials had cleared passengers for a British Airways flight a policeman shot 2 of his colleagues to death and injured 2 other policemen. The officer later turned the gun on himself and sustained severe head wounds.

2002 May 22nd.
- USA, New Orleans International Airport: a 43-year-old former US Marine from Florida opened fire with a shotgun on people near a Southwest Airlines ticket counter, killing one person and injuring another. With no security forces present, two bystanders prevented further bloodshed by wrestling the assailant to the ground. Only one shot was fired, but the attacker still had 15 shells in his pockets.

2003 May 1st.
- Jordan, Amman, Queen Alia International Airport: When a security officer examined a suspicious piece of metal in the baggage of a passenger bound for Cairo on an Egypt Air flight, the device exploded. The luggage belonged to a journalist named Hiroki Gomi, working for the Japanese newspaper Mainichi. He had taken the object and other artifacts as war souvenirs from Baghdad, but was unaware of its explosive character. One airport security employee was killed and 3 others were injured.

2002 July 4th. USA, California, Los Angeles Airport, Tom Bradley International Terminal: a 41-year-old Egyptian national, a legal resident of Southern California, armed with a .45-caliber handgun, a 9 mm handgun, a 6-inch knife, and extra ammunition opened fire at the El Al ticket counter; 3 people (including the attacker) died and 4 others were injured. The assailant was confronted and fatally shot by an armed El Al security officer. No evidence was found that linked the gunman to any terrorist group. Investigators concluded that he was driven by a number of personal factors ranging depression caused by a failing business and a suffering marriage and hatred against Jews.

Airport shootings - the Fire Service response
Los Angeles Fire Department Incident No. 0343


(published in Fire International, September 2002 issue)


LAX shootings reinforce need for
ARFF and Emergency Management Preparedness


(published in ARFF News, September/October 2002 issue)


Shooting at LAX on July 4, 2002: Lessons Learned

(published in IAEM Bulletin, October 2002 issue)


 





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