HIJACKING OF TWA FLIGHT 847:

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIRUT 03493 TERREP E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR TAGS: PTER EAIR LE US SUBJECT: HIJACKING OF TWA FLIGHT 847: SITUATION AS OF 0945 ZULU REFS: MCDONALD/OPSCENTER TACSAT TELCONS 6/14/85 ¶1. CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT. ¶2. AT 1153 LOCAL (0853 Z),HIJACKED TWA FLIGHT 847 FROM ATHENS TO ROME LANDED AT BEIRUT AIRPORT. HIJACKERS THREATENED TO KILL AN AMCIT CURRENTLY BEING HELD IN COCKPIT IF AIRCRAFT DID NOT RECEIVE 40,000 LB OF FUEL. MONITORED COCKPIT/TOWER RADIO CONVERSATIONS INDICATE THAT HIJACKERS ARE BEATING PASSENGERS AND PILOT. ACCORDING TO VOICE OF LEBANON RADIO, A PSP OFFICIAL IS REPORTEDLY AT AIRPORT TO CONDUCT NEGOTIATIONS WITH HIJACKERS. AT 0910 ZULU, AIRCRAFT APPROACHED TERMINAL BUILDING; PLANE THEN MOVED TO FUEL HYRDRANT AND, ACCORDING TO ASSISTANT AIRPORT MANAGER, REFUELING BEGAN AT 0912 Z. ¶3. ACCORDING TO "VOICE OF LEBANON" RADIO AND MFA, THE HIJACKERS BELONG TO THE "MUSA SADR (EL-HUSAYN) SUICIDE BRIGADE." THIS IS THE SAME SHIA GROUP THAT CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ALIA HIJACKING JUNE 11-12. THEY ARE SAID TO BE THREE IN NUMBER AND TO BE ARMED WITH THREE MACHINE GUNS AND FIVE HAND GRENADES. AT LEAST ONE OF THE HIJACKERS REPORTEDLY SPEAKS WITH A LEBANESE ACCENT CHARACTERISTIC OF THE BIQA' VALLEY. ¶4. EMBASSY HAS ESTABLISHED VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE AMBASSADOR'S RESIDENCE IN YARZE. EMBASSY IS ALSO MONITORING AIRCRAFT/CONTROL TOWER COMMUNICATIONS. ¶5. MFA INFORMED US BEFORE PLANE TOUCHED DOWN THAT GOL (PRIME MINISTER KARAMI AND INTERIOR MINISTER SKAFF) HAD TAKEN DECISION NOT TO ALLOW THE PLANE TO LAND. WE OBSERVED, HOWEVER, NO ATTEMPTS TO BLOCK THE RUNWAY. NEITHER THE GOL NOR THE AIRPORT AUTHORITIES HAVE CONTROL OF THE AIRPORT. DE FACTO CONTROL LIES IN THE HANDS OF THE PSP, AMAL, AND OTHER MILITIAS PRESENT AT THE AIRPORT. WHILE AIRBORNE, ONE OF THE HIJACKERS REPORTEDLY PULLED THE PIN FROM A GRENADE, AND THE PILOT SAID THAT HE WAS GOING TO FORCE A LANDING WITH OR WITHOUT GOL PERMISSION. TRANSPORATION MINISTER JUMBLATT REPORTEDLY ORDERED THAT THE PLANE BE ALLOWED TO LAND WHEN HE LEARNED IT WAS SHORT OF FUEL. ¶6. THE HIJACKERS HAVE NOT MADE KNOWN ANY DEMANDS OTHER THAN TO REQUEST FUEL. ¶7. AMBASSADOR IS URGENTLY ATTEMPTING TO CONTACT AMAL AND PSP LEADERS AND MIDDLE EAST AIRLINES OFFICIALS IN AN ATTEMPT TO HALT THE BEATING AND TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE PASSENGERS SHOULD THEY BE DEPLANED HERE. WE DO NOT WANT THE AMCIT PASSENGERS TO BE REMOVED FROM THE AIRPORT FOR ANOTHER LOCATION IN WEST BEIRUT, BUT RATHER PLACED ON THE NEXT AVAILABLE OUTBOUND FLIGHT. BARTHOLOMEW