In the early 1970s, if you were an airport security officer in Israel, you knew exactly who to watch for. Young men, Arab, alone or in pairs, nervous around the metal detectors, maybe carrying something a little too carefully. That’s who El Al trained its people to spot.
On the night of May 30, 1972, three men got off an Air France flight from Rome, walked through Israeli immigration without so much as a raised eyebrow, and headed to the baggage carousel to collect their violin cases. They weren’t Arab. They weren’t nervous. They were Japanese, dressed like graduate students, and by the time anyone understood what was happening, 26 people were dead on the floor of Lod Airport.
This is a story about a security blind spot, a group of pilgrims from Puerto Rico who never made it out of the airport, and a man who lived to be 78 years old, Here’s the full story
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.