The Consequence of Achille Lauro's Hijacking in 1985 and its Impact on the Italian Government that's Lead to its Downfall

Abstract

On Monday, October 7, 1980, four young men belonging to the Palestine Liberation Front hijacked the Italian ship Achille Lauro off the coast of Egypt, as it was sailing from Alexandria, heading to Ashdod in Israel, according to the scheduled itinerary, with planning by the leader of the Front, Muhammad Zidan (Abu Al-Abbas). The duration of the hijacking was 51 days, during which the kidnappers killed a 69-year-old American Jewish disabled man using a wheelchair, named Leon Klinghofer, and threw him from the ship into the Mediterranean Sea. The negotiations were between the kidnappers and the Egypt government, which represented the Italian government, The ambassadors of the countries that have citizens on the ship’s board were in charge of managing the negotiations.