On 11 August 1976, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine carried out a terrorist attack against Yeşilköy Airport in Istanbul, Turkey, killing four people and injuring 20 more.
| 1976 Yeşilköy airport attack | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict | |
| Location | Yeşilköy Airport, Istanbul, Turkey |
| Date | August 11, 1976 |
Attack type | grenade attack, mass shooting |
| Deaths | 4 |
| Injured | ~20 |
| Victims |
|
| Perpetrators | Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine |
| Assailants | Mohamed Mehdi and Mohamed Husain al-Rashid |
Incident
editThe attack occurred as passengers began boarding an El Al Boeing 707[1] destined for Tel Aviv; the last group was being taken to the plane via an airport bus. The perpetrators threw grenades and fired at the non-boarded passengers with submachine guns. The killers killed two Israeli tourists, Ernest Eliash from Petah Tikva and Shlomo Weisbach from Haifa, a Japanese tour guide, Yutaki Hirano, and Harold Wallace Rosenthal, aide to U.S. Senator Jacob Javits.[2][3]
Perpetrators
editThe terrorists surrendered following a shootout with Turkish police. They identified themselves as Mohamed Mehdi and Mohamed Husain al-Rashid from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.[4][5]
Reactions
editR-NY Senator Jacob Javits, whose aide Harold W. Rosenthal was killed in the attack, sponsored Senate Resolution 524, "[Urging] the President to direct United States Ambassadors abroad to seek the consideration by foreign governments of suspension of their air service to any foreign nation aiding or abetting terrorism."[6][7]
References
edit- ^ "El Al Passengers at Istanbul Attacked; Guprrillas Seized". The New York Times. 12 August 1976. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ "Forgotten terrorist attack spurs Judeophobic hoax". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ "El Al Passengers at Istanbul Attacked; Guprrillas Seized". The New York Times. 12 August 1976. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ "Terrorists Kill 3, Wound 24 El Al Passengers at Istanbul Airport; Israel Seeking to Extradite Two". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 20 March 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ "Forgotten terrorist attack spurs Judeophobic hoax". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ https://www.congress.gov/bill/94th-congress/senate-resolution/524?s=1&r=45
- ^ United States, ed. (1976). Terrorist attack at Istanbul airport: report to accompany S. Res. 524. Report – 94th Congress, 2d session, Senate ; no. 94-1235. [Washington: U.S. Govt. Print. Off.