TWA Flight 355

Last updated

TWA Flight 355
Boeing 727-31, Trans World Airlines (TWA) JP6286708.jpg
A TWA Boeing 727, similar to the aircraft involved in the incident
Hijacking
DateSeptember 10, 1976
Summary Hijacking
SiteUnited States and Canada
Aircraft
Aircraft type Boeing 727
Operator Trans World Airlines
Flight origin LaGuardia Airport, New York
1st stopover Mirabel International Airport, Canada
2nd stopover Gander International Airport, Canada
3rd stopover Keflavik International Airport, Iceland
Last stopoverParis, France
Destination O'Hare International Airport, Chicago
Passengers41 (including 5 hijackers)
Fatalities0 (1 killed dismantling device on ground)
Survivors46 (All)

TWA Flight 355 was a domestic Trans World Airlines flight that was hijacked on September 10, 1976 by five "Fighters for Free Croatia", [1] a group seeking Croatian independence from Yugoslavia.

Contents

Hijacking

The Boeing 727 plane took off from New York's LaGuardia Airport and was headed to O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. The hijackers were Slobodan Vlašić, Zvonko Bušić, his wife Julienne Bušić, [2] Petar Matanić, and Frane Pešut. The hijackers claimed to have a bomb with them as they seized control of the plane in the 95th minute of its flight. [3]

The group redirected the plane to Montreal's Mirabel International Airport where they refueled and told officials that they had planted a bomb in a locker at Grand Central Terminal and gave them instructions on finding it. They demanded that an appeal to the American people concerning Croatia's independence be printed in The New York Times , The Washington Post , the Chicago Tribune , the Los Angeles Times , and the International Herald Tribune . The plane was then flown to Gander, Newfoundland, where 35 of its passengers were released. From there the plane was accompanied by a larger TWA plane that guided it to Keflavík, Iceland. The hijackers' initial European destination was London, but the British government refused them permission to land. [4]

During the hijacking the device at Grand Central Terminal was found and taken to Rodman's Neck Firing Range where police attempted to dismantle it rather than detonate it. After setting a cutting instrument on the two wires attached to the device, the officers retreated from the pit for several minutes. When they returned to the pit to continue dismantling the device, it exploded and killed NYPD officer Brian Murray, and wounded another, Terrence McTigue. [5]

The plane landed in Paris where the hijackers surrendered after direct talks with U.S. ambassador Kenneth Rush, and their supposedly explosive devices were revealed to be fakes, simple pressure cookers. [3] [4] [6] As the police took Julienne Bušić away, the plane's pilot gave her a hug in gratitude for her calming of the passengers during the hijacking. [7]

Imprisonment

All five hijackers were convicted of aircraft piracy and conspiracy to commit aircraft piracy. Zvonko Bušić and Julienne Bušić were convicted of more serious charges of aircraft piracy resulting in death for the killing of Brian Murray. Zvonko and Julienne both received mandatory life sentences, while Pešut, Matanić, and Vlašić each received 30-year sentences. [8]

Frane Pešut served 12 years in prison. He was deported to Croatia in 2007. [9] Petar Matanić and Slobodan Vlašić were released along with Pešut in 1988. [10] Julienne Bušić was released in 1989. [11] By the 1990s and early 2000s, the last remaining hijacker in prison was Zvonko Bušić. On several occasions after Croatian independence, Croatian president Franjo Tuđman appealed to American president Bill Clinton for Bušić's release or transfer to Croatia. [12] In 2003, the Croatian Parliament passed a resolution that Bušić should be transferred to Croatia, which it submitted to the Council of Europe. [13] The liberal Croatian Helsinki Committee also took up the cause of Bušić's release. [11]

On June 7, 2008, Bušić was granted parole, after serving 32 years in prison. [14] He was then deported to Croatia, where he was greeted by approximately 500 people at Zagreb's Pleso airport. [15] Among those in the crowd were Dražen Budiša, Anto Kovačević, Marko Perković, and all four of the other hijackers. The crowd greeted him with a Nazi salute. [16] [17]

Julienne Bušić wrote a book named Lovers and Madmen about the hijacking and her love for the head of the operation. [18]

Zvonko Bušic committed suicide on September 1, 2013, by gunshot at his home in Rovanjska near Zadar; he was discovered by his wife. He was 67 years old. [19]

Agenda-setting

Agenda-setting is a concept created and developed by Max McCombs and Donald Shaw. [20] It is a function of mass media, highlighting issues seen as more important at the expense of other news. [21] In this manner, the media forces attention towards a certain issue. [22] For terrorist groups, this agenda setting function is a key tool for communicating a message across a nation or around the world. [23] Terrorist groups may manipulate or compel influential media organisations, such as The New York Times and The Washington Post , to assist them in this. [23] Prior to the TWA Flight 355 hijacking, the Croatian criminals demanded that flyers be dropped throughout large cities in order to force attention to their motivations [23] and arranged with certain newspapers to use their statements to report on the issue. [23]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aircraft hijacking</span> Incident involving unlawful seizure of an aircraft in operation

Aircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. Dating from the earliest of hijackings, most cases involve the pilot being forced to fly according to the hijacker's demands. There have also been incidents where the hijackers have overpowered the flight crew, made unauthorized entry into the cockpit and flown them into buildings – most notably in the September 11 attacks – and in several cases, planes have been hijacked by the official pilot or co-pilot; e.g., Ethiopian Airlines Flight 702.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trans World Airlines</span> Defunct airline of the United States (1930–2003)

Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1930 until 2001 when it was acquired by American Airlines. It was formed as Transcontinental & Western Air to operate a route from New York City to Los Angeles via St. Louis, Kansas City, and other stops, with Ford Trimotors. With American, United, and Eastern, it was one of the "Big Four" domestic airlines in the United States formed by the Spoils Conference of 1930.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lehigh Valley International Airport</span> Airport serving Hanover Township, Pennsylvania, USA

Lehigh Valley International Airport, formerly Allentown–Bethlehem–Easton International Airport, is a domestic airport located in Hanover Township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. Lehigh Valley International Airport is located in the center of the Lehigh Valley, roughly 7 miles (11 km) northeast of Allentown, 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of Bethlehem, and 11 miles (18 km) southwest of Easton.

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dawson's Field hijackings</span> 1970 Palestinian militant plane hijackings

In September 1970, members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) hijacked four airliners bound for New York City and one for London. Three aircraft were forced to land at Dawson's Field, a remote desert airstrip near Zarqa, Jordan, formerly Royal Air Force Station Zarqa, which then became PFLP's "Revolutionary Airport". By the end of the incident, one hijacker had been killed and one injury reported. This was the second instance of mass aircraft hijacking, after an escape from communist Czechoslovakia in 1950.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julienne Bušić</span> American writer and co-conspirator of Zvonko Bušić

Julienne Bušić is an American writer, activist, and the widow and co-conspirator of Zvonko Bušić. She was arrested with Bušić in 1976 after hijacking TWA Flight 355 and sentenced to life in prison, with early parole.

<i>Slobodna Dalmacija</i> Croatian daily newspaper

Slobodna Dalmacija is a Croatian daily newspaper published in Split.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imotski</span> Town in Split-Dalmatia, Croatia

Imotski is a small town on the northern side of the Biokovo massif in the Dalmatian Hinterland of southern Croatia, near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Imotski, like the surrounding inland Dalmatia, has a generally mild Mediterranean climate which makes it a popular tourist destination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assassination of Ivo Pukanić</span> 2008 murder in Zagreb, Croatia

The assassination of Ivo Pukanić happened on 23 October 2008 in Zagreb, Croatia, when a remote-detonation car bomb fitted on a motorcycle outside the Nacional newspaper's premises killed the owner of the newspaper, Ivo Pukanić, and Niko Franjić, its marketing manager, and injured two more people. The explosion occurred in the centre of the capital at 18:10 local time. Numerous arrests of suspects around the country followed. A subsequent police investigation accused Croatian and Serbian organized crime groups of perpetrating the bombing. Eight people suspected of having connections to organised crime groups were indicted. Six were later convicted over the murders with prison terms ranging from 15 to 40 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zvonko Bušić</span> Croatian terrorist (1946–2013)

Zvonko Bušić was a Croatian responsible for hijacking TWA Flight 355 in September 1976. He was subsequently convicted of air piracy and spent 32 years in prison in the United States before being released on parole and deported in July 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lufthansa Flight 592</span> Aircraft hijacking incident

Lufthansa Flight 592 was a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Frankfurt, Germany to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia that was hijacked on February 11, 1993. The Lufthansa-operated Airbus A310-300 was hijacked by Nebiu Zewolde Demeke, a 20-year old Ethiopian man seeking asylum who forced the pilot to fly to New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport. The aircraft landed safely, and the gunman surrendered peacefully and without incident. He was charged with aircraft hijacking by a United States district court, and was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment.

The Open Letter on the Position and Status of Serbs in Croatia was sent to the addresses of prominent Croatians and Serbians in September 2008. The letter spoke about the adverse social and economic circumstances in which Croatian Serbs had lived.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aeroflot Flight 3739 (1988)</span> 1988 aircraft hijacking

Aeroflot Flight 3739 was a Soviet domestic passenger flight from Irkutsk to Leningrad with a stopover in Kurgan. On 8 March 1988, after the Tupolev Tu-154 operating the flight had left Kurgan, it was hijacked by the Ovechkin family, whose members sought to defect from the Soviet Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zdravka Bušić</span> Croatian politician

Zdravka Bušić is a Croatian politician for the right-wing Croatian Democratic Union party.

This article includes information on terrorist acts and groups in or against the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–45) and Federal Yugoslavia (1945–92). Many of the terrorist acts were carried out outside Yugoslavia against Yugoslav subjects. The post-war period until circa 1985 was marked by frequent terrorist attacks on Yugoslav institutions organized by extremist emigrant organizations. Between 1962 and 1982, they carried out 128 terrorist attacks against Yugoslav civilian and military targets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Zagreb Tu-141 crash</span> Military drone crash in Zagreb, Croatia

On 10 March 2022 at 23:01 CET, an unidentified Soviet-made Tupolev Tu-141 reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashed in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. With an unidentified operator and unknown destination, the origin of the drone is presumed to be connected to military actions during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The drone's flight over Croatia, Hungary and Romania prompted criticism of the countries' defense systems as the UAV was detected but not cleared. In response, the Croatian government restricted airspace over populous cities and received military support from France and the United States who dispatched multiple fighter-jets to Croatia days later for joint exercises.

References

  1. "United States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. Zvonko Busic, Julienne Busic, Petar Matanic, Frane Pesut, defendants-appellants, 592 F.2d 13 (2d Cir. 1978) :: Justia (United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit)". cases.justia.com. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  2. "Green Light Interview with Julienne Bušić". avsec.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  3. 1 2 Angelo Patrizio and Mike Mudge. "TW 355 Hijacked!". twaseniorsclub.org. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  4. 1 2 Bombs for Croatia (Part I), Time Magazine
  5. Weiss, Murray (August 27, 1998). "Bid to Free Bomber who Killed N.Y. Cop". New York Post.
  6. Bombs for Croatia (Part II), Time Magazine
  7. The Hijackee Syndrome, Time Magazine
  8. Seigel, Max H. (July 22, 1977). "3 CROATS ARE GIVEN 30-YEAR SENTENCES (Published 1977)". The New York Times. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  9. "Jutarnji list - Frane Pešut deportiran u Hrvatsku". www.jutarnji.hr (in Croatian). February 15, 2007. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  10. After 32 years Bušić freed by his wife and the HHO, Slobodna Dalmacija . June 8, 2008.
  11. 1 2 Robert Bajruši (July 30, 2007). "HHO u operaciji oslobađanja Zvonka Bušića" [HHO set to free Zvonko Bušić]. Nacional (in Croatian). Archived from the original on July 28, 2012. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  12. Zvonko's dream became a reality, Slobodna Dalmacija. June 24, 2008.
  13. "Zvonko Bušić 18 years longer in jail than others". javno.com. Archived from the original on September 22, 2008. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  14. Paroling of Bušić after 32 years in prison in America Archived July 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine , Večernji list . June 7, 2008.
  15. Finally I'm in a free homeland Archived July 26, 2008, at the Wayback Machine , Jutarnji list. June 24, 2008.
  16. Bušić: I am not a thief that I'd secretly return to Croatia Archived July 24, 2008, at the Wayback Machine , Večernji list. June 24, 2008.
  17. Drakulić, Slavenka (August 28, 2008). "Shadows in the sunshine". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  18. Busic, J.E. (2007). Lovers and Madmen: A True Story of Passion, Politics, and Air Piracy. Ink & Paper Group, LLC. ISBN   9780976926108 . Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  19. "Naslovnica - tportal". daily.tportal.hr. Archived from the original on September 1, 2013. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  20. "AGENDA-SETTING FUNCTION OF MASS MEDIA* | Public Opinion Quarterly | Oxford Academic". poq.oxfordjournals.org. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  21. Johnson, J.A.; Ledlow, G.R.; Cwiek, M.A. (2005). Community Preparedness and Response to Terrorism: Communication and the media. Praeger. p. 68. ISBN   9780275983734 . Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  22. https://books.google.ca/books?id=XeP1O_vhZAC&pg=PA68&lpg=PA68&dq=agenda+setting+theory+and+terrorism&source=bl&ots=SmO3mwNU_E&sig=TeVBYAOYOR9mq89WfXXtCIYLzz8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=6ZJuVLqJCs71yAT84IKgCw&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=agenda%20setting%20theory%20and%20terrorism&f=false%5B%5D
  23. 1 2 3 4 "Terrorism and the Media" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 19, 2015. Retrieved October 15, 2019.