[vbmoneyspender]

This is not particularly new news. On the other hand, the German disgrace at Munich (where some of the police actually refused to fire on the terrorists) caused them to do a wholesale rethink of how they responded to terrorist hostage taking.

Unbeknownst to the terrorists, GSG-9 had been following the aircraft, on board a modified Lufthansa 707, since it had landed in Cyprus . The "alert" 30-man group had been airborne soon after the German government learned of the airliner's destination. This group flew from Bonn to Cyprus then on to Ankara and back home after learning. A second 30-man unit, which included commander Ulrich Wegener, had meanwhile flown from Germany to Dubai. The cooperative Somali government permitted Wegener's GSG-9 flight to land. Upon arrival, the troopers were surprised to find that the Somali commandos had set up a security perimeter around the airport and were able to provide much-needed intelligence. Following procedure, GSG-9 deployed sniper and reconnaissance teams, and prepared to assault the plane immediately, in case such event dictated that such an emergency response was required. It was not, and along with the the recently arrived second element of GSG-9, planning began in earnest.

As the night wore on, officials came to the conclusion that, given Mahmoud's growing instability and having already proven his willingness to execute hostages, a rescue operation would be authorized. At 2315, sections of the assault element began their covert approach to the aircraft. Two SAS men, who had accompanied GSG-9 and were skilled in the use of "flash-bang" grenades, accompanied the assault teams. At 205, In an attempt to cause at least some of the terrorists to come to the cockpit (thereby establishing their whereabouts), the Somali commandos lit a bright signal fire a few hundred feet from the front of the plane. The reconnaissance team assigned to that section of the aircraft reported that in fact two of the terrorists, including "Captain Mahmoud", had gone to the cockpit and were confusedly observing the fire.

At the same time, GSG-9 commandos, using specially designed, rubber coated ladders, made entry through the aircraft doors. At 2:07, the emergency doors were blown open with explosive charges and the SAS operatives, who had managed to sneak undetected onto the wings, tossed their grenades inside. With this, GSG-9 entered the plane, ordering the hostages to the ground. Within seconds, three of the terrorists were killed, and the fourth severely wounded. The operation was officially over by 212, when all the hostages were retrieved unharmed, with one GSG-9 operative slightly injured by gunfire. The same could not be said for Schleyer, the German businessman abducted a month earlier whose body was recovered three days later.

[skinkinthegrass]

thank you, for the information:
sometimes our memories DO become foggy.