The Achille Lauro Hijacking. Lessons in the Politics and Prejudice of Terrorism

314 Pages·2004·1.98 MB·English

by  Michael K. Bohn

THE
ACHILLE LAURO
HIJACKING
Also by MICHAEL K. BOHN
Nerve Center: Inside the White House Situation Room
THE
ACHILLE LAURO
HIJACKING
LESSONS IN THE POLITICS AND
PREJUDICE OF TERRORISM
MICHAEL K. BOHN
Copyright © 2004 by Michael K. Bohn Published in the United
States by Potomac Books, Inc. (formerly Brassey’s, Inc.). All
rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without written permission from the
publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical articles and reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bohn, Michael K.
The Achille Lauro hijacking : lessons in the politics and
prejudice of terrorism / Michael K. Bohn.—1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-57488-779-3 (alk. paper) 1. Achille Lauro Hijacking
Incident, 1985 2. Terrorism—Mediterranean Region—Case
studies. 3. Italy—Politics and government—1976-1994. I.
Title.
HV6433.M4B65 2004
364.15′4′0916387—dc22
2004006728
ISBN 1-57488-780-7 (paperback) Printed in the United
States of America on acid-free paper that meets the American
National Standards Institute Z39-48 Standard.
Potomac Books, Inc.
22841 Quicksilver Drive
Dulles, Virginia 20166
First Edition
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To the families of
Alex Odeh and Leon Klinghoffer
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Prologue
1 Murder on the High Seas
2 “You Can Run, But You Can’t Hide”
3 Backlash (1985)
4 “Terrorvision” and Trials (1986)
5 “Swim for It?” (1987–1989)
6 Mideast Machiavelli (1990–1991)
7 The Death of Klinghoffer (1991–1995)
8 The Ship of Death
9 Terrorist Turned Politician (1996–1999)
10 Gotcha! (2174–2004)
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Index
The Author
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
THE idea of writing this book came from my friend Gene
Gibbons, the long-time White House correspondent for UPI,
then later Reuters. Gene covered the White House when I
served on the National Security Council staff as the director of
the White House Situation Room during the Reagan
administration.
I am indebted to Sarah Flynn for her inspired editorial
guidance, and clear strategy for the structure and tone of the
book. Thanks also to Rick Russell and Sam Dorrance at
Brassey’s, Inc.
I want to thank a unique group of Naval officers who not only
helped capture the Achille Lauro hijackers, but also took the
time to recall their memories of the incident: John Poindexter
and Jim Stark, who were at the White House at the time of the
hijacking, and Ralph Zia, Skid Massey, and Steve
Weatherspoon, pilots who were on board USS Saratoga.
In addition, thanks to several people who contributed time to
the project—Nick Veliotes, Rodney Gould, Peter Kohler, Bob
Collins, Buck Revell, Alberto Negrin, and Jack Shaheen.
I am grateful for the help from Sami Odeh, brother of the
late Alex Odeh, and Lisa and Ilsa Klinghoffer for their
thoroughgoing assistance. May God bless Alex Odeh and Leon
Klinghoffer. Finally, thanks to my wife Elin for her love and
support.
PROLOGUE
ON November 1, 2001, the United States was still reeling from
the extraordinary terrorist attack on America fifty days earlier.
Smoke and steam continued to rise from the smoldering heap
of rubble that was once the twin towers of the World Trade
Center in New York City. At the Pentagon in Washington, DC,
Department of Defense personnel were back at work, with
many still haunted by memories of the blast, fire, and smoke. At
nearby Reagan National Airport, flight operations remained
suspended.
U.S. military forces were attacking the Taliban in Afghanistan
in retaliation for its support of Osama bin Laden and his Al
Qaeda terrorist organization. Americans were worrying about
biological warfare as a fourth person died from exposure to
anthrax in the postal system. The Justice Department held
dozens of people who appeared to have connections to past and
future terrorist attacks. Olympic officials were considering
enhanced security at the Winter Games scheduled for the
following February in Salt Lake City, Utah.
On the first day of November, Americans still seemed to be in
withdrawal from their lives before 9-11, a retreat to the basics
—family, friends, jobs—at the expense of leisure activities,
travel, and entertainment that just felt inappropriate at that
time. That withdrawal triggered aftershocks throughout the
social and economic fabric of the country. One area, the
entertainment industry and the arts, reflected the public’s
retreat to comfort zones.
Viewers could not retreat from terrorism on television—