30 years ago, Air France flight 8969, connecting Algiers to Paris, was taken hostage, a 54-hour drama marked by the heroic intervention of the GIGN.
On December 24, 1994, Algiers airport was in turmoil. The 227 passengers of Air France flight 8969 boarded, eager to spend Christmas with their families. But everything changes at 11 a.m. Four men, presenting themselves as police officers, boarded. Once inside, they reveal their weapons: pistols, Kalashnikovs, grenades.
“ We are from the GIA! We are killers, and we are taking over the plane! » These men are members of the Armed Islamic Groupone of the most radical terrorist movements in Algeria. Their demand: the release of two leaders of the Islamic Salvation Front, detained in Algeria. From the first hours, tension rises. The negotiations fail. To prove their determination, terrorists coldly execute an Algerian police officer. His body is thrown onto the footbridge. The hostages are going through hell. In Paris, the crisis unit is on maximum alert. On December 25, the women and children were released, but the drama continued. Two other hostages are killed. Yannick Beugnet, French chef, is executed before everyone’s eyes. The hostage-takers threaten: they will kill a passenger every 30 minutes if the plane does not take off.
Every minute counts
France is intensifying pressure. No question of giving in. The terrorists finally obtain the right to take off, but the plane must stop in Marseille for refueling. It’s 2:20 a.m. on December 26.
In Marignane, the GIGN is preparing in the shadows. These thirty elite gendarmes were urgently recalled from their leave. Their mission: to prevent a possible kamikaze attack on Paris. The airport is closed, flights canceled. On board, the hostages survive in unbearable tension.
The terrorists continue to play for time. They demanded a press conference, but the negotiations bogged down. The police are refining their strategy. Every minute counts.
The assault of the GIGN
At 5:12 p.m., the signal is given. Three motorized catwalks approach the plane. Inside, the police enter through the rear and front doors. Shootings, smoke, broken glass. The operation is surgical.
War breaks out in the cabin. More than 1,000 bullets are fired in a few minutes. The co-pilot, panicking, jumps through a window to escape. The terrified hostages are evacuated by slides under the protection of snipers.
At 5:29 p.m., the assault was over. The four terrorists are shot dead. Outside, cries of relief mix with emergency sirens. Among the injured, thirteen passengers, three crew members and nine police officers.
A heroic act
The intervention is welcomed around the world. The GIGN gendarmes become national heroes. “ It was hell inside, but we weren’t allowed to fail », a member of the unit would later confide.
Thirty years later, this Christmas of 1994 remains engraved in the memories. This drama, mixing horror and heroism, reminds us of resilience in the face of terror. Forever, the story of Flight 8969 symbolizes the strength of those who risked their lives to save others.
