1978 Orly Airport attack

1978 Orly Airport attack
1978 Orly Airport attack is located in Île-de-France (region)
1978 Orly Airport attack
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The attack site
LocationOrly Airport, Paris, France
Coordinates48°43′24″N 2°22′46″E / 48.7233°N 2.3794°E / 48.7233; 2.3794
Date20 May 1978; 46 years ago (1978-05-20)
c. 3:00 pm
Attack type
Mass shooting
Deaths2 civilians (+3 attackers)
Injured5
PerpetratorsPalestinian nationalists

The 1978 Orly Airport attack was a shoot-out that took place on 20 May 1978 in the Paris Orly Airport, France as three terrorists armed with submachine guns opened fire at the El Al boarding gate.[1][2][3] The terrorists were also reportedly carrying grenades and plastic explosives in the shoot-out that lasted for 25 minutes.[4] Two people including one police officer were killed before the three terrorists were shot and killed by French police and Israeli security guards.[1][2][3] Five people waiting to board a nearby Iberia flight to Malaga were wounded.[5] The airport was evacuated for about three hours after the attack.[5] According to Israeli sources the group behind the attack was a unit headed by Abu Nidal which cooperated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).[5]

References

  1. ^ a b "Terrorist Incidents against Jewish Communities and Israeli Citizens Abroad, 1968-2003". International Institute for Counter-Terrorism. 20 December 2003. Archived from the original on 26 March 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  2. ^ a b Curtis, Michael (1986). The Middle East: A Reader. Transaction Publishers. p. 279. ISBN 9781412837798.
  3. ^ a b Rubin, Barry; Rubin, Judith Colp (2015). Chronologies of Modern Terrorism. Routledge. p. 193. ISBN 9781317474654.
  4. ^ "3 Terrorists Killed In Attack In Paris On El Al Passengers". The New York Times. 21 May 1978.
  5. ^ a b c "Passengers Onel Al Flight Credit Israeli Security Guards for Thwarting Terrorist Attack on Plane Pas". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 22 May 1978.