Achille Lauro hijacking: The 1985 Mediterranean crisis

On October 7, 1985, the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked in the eastern Mediterranean by four members of the Palestine Liberation Front. The hijackers, who claimed to be part of the PLO, demanded the release of 52 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

The crisis escalated into a major international diplomatic incident involving Italy, Egypt, the United States, and Israel. During the hijacking, Leon Klinghoffer, an American Jewish man in a wheelchair, was murdered and thrown overboard.

Following negotiations involving Italian Prime Minister Bettino Craxi and PLO leader Yasser Arafat, the hijackers surrendered to Egyptian authorities on October 9. The ship eventually docked in Port Said on October 10. The perpetrators were later transported to Tunisia via an Egyptian aircraft.