Okla-homey
9/5/2006, 06:23 AM
September 5, 1972: Arab terrorists capture Israeli athletes at the Olympics
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/7918/aa0102056554200me8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Thirty-four years ago today, in the pre-dawn hours, six members of the Arab terrorist group known as Black September, dressed in the Olympic warm-up suits of Arab nations, jumped the fence surrounding the Olympic Village in Munich, Germany. They carring gym bags loaded with automatic weapons, pistols, ammunition and grenades.
Although guards spotted them, they paid little attention because athletes often took a short-cut by jumping the village fence during the competition to return to their living quarters.
http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/4579/aaaerialrg9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
1972 Olympic venue
After changing into disguises, the terrorists, bearing automatic weapons, burst into the apartments of 21 Israeli athletes and team officials. Yossef Gutfreund, a wrestling referee who valiantly tried to keep the terrorists out, saved Tuvia Sokolovsky, who was able to climb out a window and escape.
In another apartment, Moshe Weinberg was shot 12 times but still managed to wound one of the terrorists and save the life of one of his teammates.
Created in 1970 by Abu Nidal and a few survivors of the "ten terrible September days" of fighting in Jordan for a Palestinian homeland, Black Septembersucceeded in taking nine hostages before demanding the release of 236 prisoners -- most of whom were Arab terrorists.
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/6619/aauntitledrx1.png (http://imageshack.us)
Image of one of the hostage takers beamed aound the world by live TV
The terrorsts demands were categorically refused, but it was eventually agreed that the terrorists and the hostages would be taken to the Furstenfeldbruck airport by helicopter and given a plane.
The German government planned an ambush at the airport, stationing snipers around the runway and German federal officers in the airplane. However, the plan quickly disintegrated when the officers in the plane, worried about their lack of preparation, deserted. There weren't nearly enough sharpshooters to effectively take down all of the terrorists either, partly because the Germans didn't realize that two other terrorists had joined the Black September attack.
Still, the ambush was carried out on the evening of Setember 5, 1972. Three terrorists were taken out in the first wave of shots, but the others were able to hide out of range. One threw a grenade into a helicopter where five hostages were still tied up, instantly killing them all. Another terrorist fired his machine gun into another helicopter, killing the remaining hostages.
http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/5069/aamunich3ob5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Twenty hours after Black September had begun their attack, a German police official, 5 terrorists, and 11 Israeli Olympic athletes lay dead. Three of the terrorists who survived were imprisoned by the Germans but they were set free a month later when Arabs hijacked a Lufthansa 727 and demanded their release.
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/2331/aa1972posterem2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Lost Israeli Olympians
A few days after the tragic event at the Olympics, Israel retaliated with air strikes against Syria and Lebanon, killing at least 66 people and wounding dozens. Israeli ground forces also penetrated the Lebanese border, attacking Arab terrorist forces which used Lebanon as a refuge and staging center from which it prosecuted terrorist attacks igniting the heaviest fighting since the Six-Day War of 1967.
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/4238/aaabee08oy1.gif (http://imageshack.us)
In addition, Israel sent out covert teams around the world to hunt down members of Black September. By all accounts, over the course of a two year period, they killed every surviving Arab known to have played a role in organizing, planning or executing the attack except Black September founder Abu Nidal. Nidal was killed died in Baghdad in 2002 where he was living after being expelled from Libya. Earlier this year, American filmmaker Steven Speilberg released a film titled simply "Munich" which portrayed the actions of one of these covert teams.
http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/4314/aa1076munich1aqc5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/4872/insane7zobm7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/7918/aa0102056554200me8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Thirty-four years ago today, in the pre-dawn hours, six members of the Arab terrorist group known as Black September, dressed in the Olympic warm-up suits of Arab nations, jumped the fence surrounding the Olympic Village in Munich, Germany. They carring gym bags loaded with automatic weapons, pistols, ammunition and grenades.
Although guards spotted them, they paid little attention because athletes often took a short-cut by jumping the village fence during the competition to return to their living quarters.
http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/4579/aaaerialrg9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
1972 Olympic venue
After changing into disguises, the terrorists, bearing automatic weapons, burst into the apartments of 21 Israeli athletes and team officials. Yossef Gutfreund, a wrestling referee who valiantly tried to keep the terrorists out, saved Tuvia Sokolovsky, who was able to climb out a window and escape.
In another apartment, Moshe Weinberg was shot 12 times but still managed to wound one of the terrorists and save the life of one of his teammates.
Created in 1970 by Abu Nidal and a few survivors of the "ten terrible September days" of fighting in Jordan for a Palestinian homeland, Black Septembersucceeded in taking nine hostages before demanding the release of 236 prisoners -- most of whom were Arab terrorists.
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/6619/aauntitledrx1.png (http://imageshack.us)
Image of one of the hostage takers beamed aound the world by live TV
The terrorsts demands were categorically refused, but it was eventually agreed that the terrorists and the hostages would be taken to the Furstenfeldbruck airport by helicopter and given a plane.
The German government planned an ambush at the airport, stationing snipers around the runway and German federal officers in the airplane. However, the plan quickly disintegrated when the officers in the plane, worried about their lack of preparation, deserted. There weren't nearly enough sharpshooters to effectively take down all of the terrorists either, partly because the Germans didn't realize that two other terrorists had joined the Black September attack.
Still, the ambush was carried out on the evening of Setember 5, 1972. Three terrorists were taken out in the first wave of shots, but the others were able to hide out of range. One threw a grenade into a helicopter where five hostages were still tied up, instantly killing them all. Another terrorist fired his machine gun into another helicopter, killing the remaining hostages.
http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/5069/aamunich3ob5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Twenty hours after Black September had begun their attack, a German police official, 5 terrorists, and 11 Israeli Olympic athletes lay dead. Three of the terrorists who survived were imprisoned by the Germans but they were set free a month later when Arabs hijacked a Lufthansa 727 and demanded their release.
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/2331/aa1972posterem2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Lost Israeli Olympians
A few days after the tragic event at the Olympics, Israel retaliated with air strikes against Syria and Lebanon, killing at least 66 people and wounding dozens. Israeli ground forces also penetrated the Lebanese border, attacking Arab terrorist forces which used Lebanon as a refuge and staging center from which it prosecuted terrorist attacks igniting the heaviest fighting since the Six-Day War of 1967.
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/4238/aaabee08oy1.gif (http://imageshack.us)
In addition, Israel sent out covert teams around the world to hunt down members of Black September. By all accounts, over the course of a two year period, they killed every surviving Arab known to have played a role in organizing, planning or executing the attack except Black September founder Abu Nidal. Nidal was killed died in Baghdad in 2002 where he was living after being expelled from Libya. Earlier this year, American filmmaker Steven Speilberg released a film titled simply "Munich" which portrayed the actions of one of these covert teams.
http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/4314/aa1076munich1aqc5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/4872/insane7zobm7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)