India: Japan Airlines #472, a Douglas DC-8 en route from
Mumbai to Tokyo, and carrying 156 passengers, was taken over by armed members of the Japanese Red Army (JRA). Shortly after taking off from Mumbai, five JRA members hijacked the aircraft and ordered it flown to Dhaka, Bangladesh. At Dhaka, the hijackers took the passengers and crew hostage, demanding $6 million and the release of 9 imprisoned JRA members. On October 1, Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda, citing the need to protect human life, announced that the Japanese government would accept the hijackers’ demands. Six of the imprisoned JRA members were then released. A chartered Japan Airlines (JAL) flight carried the money and the six released JRA members to Dhaka. The exchange took place on October 2nd. The hijackers released 118 passengers and crew members. On October 3rd, they flew to Kuwait City and Damascus, where they released 11 more hostages. Finally, the aircraft was flown to Algeria, where it was impounded by authorities and the remaining hostages were freed. Several of the JRA radicals involved in the hijacking have yet to be apprehended. Their current whereabouts are unknown.
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