Today, 40 years ago, four armed men hijacked a Mumbai-Frankfurt-New York flight during its stopover in Karachi, triggering a 17-hour hostage crisis. The standoff ended in a bloody commando assault that killed several passengers, including 23-year-old Indian flight attendant Neerja Bhanot, who later came to be known for her extraordinary bravery in saving lives.
Pan Am Flight 73 was a Mumbai-Frankfurt-New York flight carrying 379 passengers and crew when it was hijacked during its stopover in Karachi on September 5, 1986.
The four hijackers had disguised themselves as airport security personnel before storming the aircraft.
Hindustan Times reported the following day that the flight had 13 cabin crew members, including stewards and air hostesses. The newspaper also reported that there were 193 Indians among the passengers.
The cockpit crew escaped
The hijackers' plan to take control of the aircraft was disrupted almost immediately.
According to HT's September 6, 1986 report, one of the cabin crew members alerted the flight deck as the four men entered the aircraft.
{{/usCountry}}According to HT's September 6, 1986 report, one of the cabin crew members alerted the flight deck as the four men entered the aircraft.
{{/usCountry}}The pilot, co-pilot and engineer then escaped through the emergency hatch.
"It is our practice to carry all-Indian cabin crew on our India-Germany routes", a Pan Am official told Hindustan Times.
The escape of the three-member cockpit crew meant the aircraft could not take off.
The hijackers wanted Cyprus
The hijackers demanded that pilots be sent to fly the aircraft to Cyprus.
To press their demand, they shot an Indian American man in the doorway and rolled his body onto the tarmac.
The hijackers also negotiated with officials in the control tower in Arabic, with interpreters being used.
Their leader, who identified himself only as Mustafa, asked for the release of friends in Cyprus prisons, according to the Hindustan Times report.
Deadly 17 hours
The hijacking lasted 17 hours.
During the standoff, the situation inside the aircraft became increasingly violent. The September 6 Hindustan Times report said the hijackers opened fire and that passengers were caught in the crossfire.
Pakistani commandos eventually stormed the aircraft.
At least 15 people were initially reported killed, while around 100 were injured, according to the contemporary report.
The commandos rushed the plane at about 9.40 p.m. The four gunmen threw hand grenades which did not detonate as passengers fled the aircraft in panic.
Two of the hijackers were killed by security forces and the other two were captured, according to the report.
Neerja Bhanot's final act
Among those who died was 23-year-old Indian flight attendant Neerja Bhanot.
Bhanot had helped alert the cockpit crew, allowing them to escape and leaving the aircraft immobilised.
During the final phase of the hijacking, she helped passengers escape. She suffered a bullet wound and died hours later at a hospital.
Her bravery in saving passengers' lives earned her the Ashok Chakra award.
Her story was later told in the 2016 film Neerja.
Also Read: Neerja’s father penned this heartbreaking piece post her death in 1986
Who were the four hijackers?
The four hijackers were identified as Wadoud Muhammad Hafiz al-Turki, Jamal Saeed Abdul Rahim, Muhammad Abdullah Khalil Hussain ar-Rahayyal and Muhammad Ahmed al-Munawar.
The four were identified as members of the Palestinian Abu Nidal terrorist outfit.
On January 12, 2018, the FBI released "age-progressed" photographs of the four men.
"No matter how much time has passed, we owe it to the victims and their families to never give up on them," an unidentified FBI case agent from the bureau's Washington office said in a statement.
The lead agent in the case said the images obtained by the FBI in 2000 had been age-progressed by the FBI laboratory.
"We're hoping that with the age-progression photos next to the original photos maybe that will jar some memories or maybe someone has seen these guys walking around," he said.
There was a $5 million reward for information leading to their arrest.
What happened to the hijackers?
Pakistani authorities arrested all four terrorists involved in the hijack from the scene.
A fifth person, Zayd Hassan Abd al-Latif Safarini, described as their apparent leader, was later apprehended.
The four hijackers were tried and convicted and given the death sentence, which was later commuted to life in prison.
Safarini was handed over to the US in 2001. He accepted a plea deal in 2003 and was sentenced in 2005 to 160 years in prison.
"In January 2008," the Justice Department had said, "the (remaining) four hijackers … were reportedly released from Pakistani custody".
India reacts
The hijacking also triggered an immediate security response in India.
Hindustan Times reported on September 6, 1986 that security at all international airports in the country had been tightened to the "maximum".
Authorities were directed to review airport security and make it more fool-proof.
The report also said Indian consulate staff in Karachi were already at the airport and were in touch with local authorities, discussing ways to rescue the Indians on board the aircraft.
Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi expressed profound sorrow at the "mindless violence" following the seizure of the Pan Am aircraft.
The Civil Aviation Ministry's "crisis management group" also held meetings with Union Cabinet Secretary B. G. Deshmukh and Home Secretary G. S. Somiah to review the situation.