Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, December 26, 1994 TAG: 9412270120
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: MARSEILLE, FRANCE LENGTH: Medium
The Air France plane was commandeered Saturday in the most dramatic act yet in a 3-year-old guerrilla war against Algeria's military-installed government.
French security forces were in place at Marignane airport. A section of the tarmac was blocked off, and firefighting equipment placed on alert. Marignane is about 25 miles northwest of Marseille, a major port city on the Mediterranean.
It wasn't clear what the five hijackers wanted. A news report said they demanded freedom for two jailed Muslim leaders, but an Interior Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Sunday they had dropped that demand.
The hijackers, armed with two Kalashnikov rifles and two handguns, killed two passengers Saturday and freed at least 60 hostages, mostly women and children.
The French government gave permission for the plane to land in France after an employee of the French Embassy in Algiers became the third passenger to be killed by the hijackers. He was dumped from the plane about 9:30 p.m. Sunday. French news reports said that was a deadline set earlier by the hijackers to depart, and they were threatening to kill more hostages.
The French Foreign Ministry identified the passenger killed Sunday as Yannick Beugnet, an employee of the French Embassy in Algiers. He was the 23rd French citizen killed by extremists.
French and Algerian authorities said commandos had been standing by to storm the plane if necessary.
The jetliner had 227 passengers and 12 crew aboard when it was taken over shortly before takeoff Saturday, officials said. Air France earlier said 271 passengers were aboard.
One freed hostage said an Algerian policeman who was a passenger pleaded for his life before he was shot in the head Saturday. ``He screamed, `Don't kill me! I am married! I have a child!''' said the woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The gunmen also killed a Vietnamese passenger and dumped the two bodies on the staircase outside the plane, Algerian officials said.
Keywords:
FATALITY
by CNB