9. The Rome And Vienna Airport Massacres
At 8:15 AM on December 27, 1985, six men walked into the departures lounge of Rome’s international airport, pulled out submachine guns, and opened fire. At exactly the same time, three men in the Vienna airport threw four hand grenades at passengers waiting for a flight to Tel Aviv. For the next few minutes, chaos reigned in two countries.
Passengers later said they’d thrown themselves to the floor as the armed men strafed the departure lounge. Italian and Austrian police had returned fire, resulting in a bloodbath. Broken glass fell onto passengers, and blood splattered across the concourse. In five short minutes, 18 people, including four gunmen, were dead. Another 120 were wounded. In the dizzying aftermath, people began hunting for a motive. It wasn’t long before Palestinian resistance groups fell into the spotlight.
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In 1988, the Fatah Revolutionary Council under Abu Nidal was convicted in absentia for the attacks. A former associate of Yasser Arafat, Nidal had eventually broken off relations with the Palestinian leader in favor of more violent methods. Although it was never proven, Italian authorities claimed the attacks had gone ahead with Syria’s consent. It wasn’t the only time a regional conflict would spill over into Europe’s airports . . .
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