May 8, 1972
Black September Hijacks Sabena Flight 571
Historical context
On May 8, 1972, four Black September members hijacked Sabena Flight 571 on the way from Vienna to Tel Aviv.
Archive record
Read the event, then follow its documented sources and archive threads.
- Date
- May 8, 1972
- Verified sources
- 1
- Archive threads
- 4
On this day, four members of Black September, two men and two women, hijacked Sabena Flight 571 about twenty minutes after it left Vienna for Tel Aviv. The Israel Defense Forces record that Captain Levy sent a distress signal and that Defense Minister Moshe Dayan opened talks while planning a rescue.
The next day, sixteen Sayeret Matkal soldiers in white coveralls approached the aircraft at Lod as if they were technicians. Ehud Barak commanded the force, and Benjamin Netanyahu was in it. They killed the two men, captured the two women, and freed the passengers. One passenger later died of her wounds. Netanyahu was wounded.
Research trail
Sources and further reading
- The Raid on Sabena Flight 571 · Israel Defense Forces · Israel Defense Forces View source
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