Today is Saturday, December 26th, 2020.

On this day in 1994, the hijacking of Air France Flight 8969 by four members of the Armed Islamic

Group of Algeria concluded after two tense and deadly days.

Welcome to Today in True Crime, a Spotify original from Parcast.

Today we're covering the hijacking of Air France Flight 8969 and the subsequent rescue operation conducted by French forces.

Let's go back to Christmas Eve, 1994, around 11 a.m. at Huari-Bumetienne Airport in Algiers.

The in Algiers.

Air France Flight 8969 from Algiers to Paris was due to depart at 1115 a.m. As the 247-seat Airbus A-300, today carrying 227 passengers, sat on the runway,

nearly every passenger had taken his or her seat. Then four men in police uniforms boarded the

plane. At first, no one paid them any attention, until one made his way to the

cockpit. Two others began inspecting passengers' passports, while the fourth man appeared to stand

guard. By this time, the all-French flight crew had become deeply suspicious of the supposed

officers' motives, even more so after one of the crew

members noticed what looked like dynamite sticking out from one of the men's shirts. When the crew

members and passengers noticed a squad of armed men surrounding the aircraft, their suspicions

were confirmed. Once the four men in uniform became aware of the commotion,

they announced what most already suspected. They were terrorists, and they were taking over the

plane. The hijackers proclaimed that they were members of the armed Islamic group of Algeria.

By taking the Air France flight hostage, they were sending a message to the French infidels that they were not welcome in their country. By 12 o'clock, 45 minutes after the flight was scheduled to depart, the French and Algerian governments became aware of the

unfolding situation, along with the local media. News trucks raced to the scene, as did the

Algerian minister of the interior, who began negotiating with the terrorists from the airport's

control tower. Meanwhile, the French government made preparations of its own.

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