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N0KFQ > TODAY 05.09.15 16:43l 65 Lines 2928 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 66034_N0KFQ
Read: GUEST
Subj: Today in History - Sep 5
Path: IW8PGT<CX2SA<N0KFQ
Sent: 150905/1434Z 66034@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA BPQ1.4.63
1972
Arab terrorists take Israeli hostages at the Olympics
In the early morning hours of September 5, six members of the
Arab terrorist group known as Black September dressed in the
Olympic sweat suits of Arab nations and jumped the fence
surrounding the Olympic village in Munich, Germany, carrying bags
filled with guns. Although guards spotted them, they paid little
attention because athletes often jumped the fence during the
competition to return to their living quarters.
After changing into disguises, the terrorists, toting machine
guns, burst into the apartments of 21 Israeli athletes and
officials. Yossef Gutfreund, a wrestling referee who valiantly
tried to keep the terrorists out, saved Tuvia Sokolovsky, who was
able to climb out a window and escape. In another apartment,
Moshe Weinberg was shot 12 times but still managed to wound one
of the terrorists and save the life of one of his teammates.
Created in 1970 by a few survivors of the "ten terrible September
days" of fighting against Jordan for a Palestinian homeland,
Black September succeeded in taking nine hostages before
demanding the release of 234 prisoners-most of whom were Arab
terrorists. The demands were categorically refused, but it was
eventually agreed that the terrorists and the hostages would be
taken to the Furstenfeldbruck airport by helicopter and given a
plane.
The German government planned an ambush at the airport,
stationing sharpshooters around the runway and officers in the
airplane. However, the plan quickly disintegrated when the
officers in the plane, worried about their lack of preparation,
deserted. There weren't nearly enough sharpshooters to
effectively take down all of the terrorists either, partly
because the Germans didn't realize that two other terrorists had
joined the Black September attack.
Still, the ambush was carried out. Three terrorists were taken
out in the first wave of shots, but the others were able to hide
out of range. One threw a grenade into a helicopter where five
hostages were still tied up, instantly killing them all. Another
terrorist fired his machine gun into another helicopter, killing
the remaining hostages.
Twenty hours after Black September had begun their attack, a
German police official, 5 Palestinian terrorists, and 11 Israeli
athletes lay dead. Three of the terrorists who survived were
imprisoned but were set free a month later when Arabs hijacked a
Lufthansa 727 and demanded their release.
A few days after the tragic event at the Olympics, Israel
retaliated with air strikes against Syria and Lebanon, killing 66
people and wounding dozens. In addition, Israel sent out
assassination squads to hunt down members of Black September
while Israeli troops broke through the Lebanese border, igniting
the heaviest fighting since the Six-Day War of 1967.
73, K.O. n0kfq
N0KFQ @ N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
E-mail: kohiggs@gmail.com
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