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TWA Flight 355

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TWA Flight 355
A TWA Boeing 727, similar to the aircraft involved in the incident
Hijacking
DateSeptember 10, 1976
SummaryHijacking
SiteUnited States and Canada
Aircraft
Aircraft typeBoeing 727
OperatorTrans World Airlines
Flight originLaGuardia Airport,New York
1st stopoverMirabel International Airport,Canada
2nd stopoverGander International Airport,Canada
3rd stopoverKeflavik International Airport,Iceland
Last stopoverParis, France
DestinationO'Hare International Airport,Chicago
Passengers41 (including 5 hijackers)
Fatalities0
Survivors46
Ground casualties
Ground fatalities1

TWA Flight 355was a domesticTrans World Airlinesflight that washijackedon September 10, 1976 by five "Fighters for Free Croatia",[1]a group seekingCroatianindependence fromYugoslavia.

Hijacking

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TheBoeing 727plane took off fromNew York'sLaGuardia Airportand was headed toO'Hare International AirportinChicago.The hijackers wereSlobodan Vlašić,Zvonko Bušić,his wifeJulienne Bušić,[2]Petar Matanić,andFrane Pešut.The hijackers claimed to have a bomb with them as they seized control of the plane in the 95th minute of its flight.[3]

The group redirected the plane toMontreal'sMirabel International Airportwhere they refueled and told officials that they had planted a bomb in a locker atGrand Central Terminaland gave them instructions on finding it. They demanded that an appeal to the American people concerning Croatia's independence be printed inThe New York Times,The Washington Post,theChicago Tribune,theLos Angeles Times,and theInternational Herald Tribune.The plane was then flown toGander,Newfoundland, where 35 of its passengers were released. From there the plane was accompanied by a larger TWA plane that guided it toKeflavík,Iceland.The hijackers' initial European destination was London, but the British government refused them permission to land.[4]

During the hijacking the device at Grand Central Terminal was found and taken toRodman's Neck Firing Rangewhere police attempted to dismantle it rather than detonate it. After setting a cutting instrument on the two wires attached to the device, the officers retreated from the pit for several minutes. When they returned to the pit to continue dismantling the device, it exploded and killed NYPD officer Brian Murray, and wounded another, Terrence McTigue.[5]

The plane landed in Paris where the hijackers surrendered after direct talks with U.S. ambassadorKenneth Rush,and their supposedly explosive devices were revealed to be fakes, simple pressure cookers.[3][4][6]As the police took Julienne Bušić away, the plane's pilot gave her a hug in gratitude for her calming of the passengers during the hijacking.[7]

Imprisonment

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All five hijackers were convicted ofaircraft piracyand conspiracy to commit aircraft piracy. Zvonko Bušić and Julienne Bušić were convicted of more serious charges of aircraft piracy resulting in death for the killing of Brian Murray. Zvonko and Julienne both received mandatory life sentences, while Pešut, Matanić, and Vlašić each received 30-year sentences.[8]

Frane Pešut served 12 years in prison. He was deported to Croatia in 2007.[9]Petar Matanić and Slobodan Vlašić were released along with Pešut in 1988.[10]Julienne Bušić was released in 1989.[11]By the 1990s and early 2000s, the last remaining hijacker in prison was Zvonko Bušić. On several occasions after Croatian independence, Croatian presidentFranjo Tuđmanappealed to American presidentBill Clintonfor Bušić's release or transfer to Croatia.[12]In 2003, theCroatian Parliamentpassed a resolution that Bušić should be transferred to Croatia, which it submitted to theCouncil of Europe.[13]The liberalCroatian Helsinki Committeealso took up the cause of Bušić's release.[11]

On June 7, 2008, Bušić was granted parole, after serving 32 years in prison.[14]He was then deported to Croatia, where he was greeted by approximately 500 people atZagreb'sPleso airport.[15]Among those in the crowd wereDražen Budiša,Anto Kovačević,Marko Perković,and all four of the other hijackers. The crowd greeted him with aNazi salute.[16][17]

Julienne Bušićwrote a book namedLovers and Madmenabout the hijacking and her love for the head of the operation.[18]

Zvonko Bušic committed suicide on September 1, 2013, by gunshot at his home in Rovanjska near Zadar; he was discovered by his wife. He was 67 years old.[19]

Agenda-setting

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Agenda-settingis a concept created and developed by Max McCombs and Donald Shaw.[20]It is a function ofmass media,highlighting issues seen as more important at the expense of other news.[21]In this manner, the media forces attention towards a certain issue.[22]For terrorist groups, this agenda setting function is a key tool for communicating a message across a nation or around the world.[23]Terrorist groups may manipulate or compel influential media organisations, such asThe New York TimesandThe Washington Post,to assist them in this.[23]Prior to the TWA Flight 355 hijacking, the Croatian criminals demanded that flyers be dropped throughout large cities in order to force attention to their motivations[23]and arranged with certain newspapers to use their statements to report on the issue.[23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"United States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. Zvonko Busic, Julienne Busic, Petar Matanic, Frane Pesut, defendants-appellants, 592 F.2d 13 (2d Cir. 1978):: Justia (United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit)".cases.justia.RetrievedMarch 8,2017.
  2. ^"Green Light Interview with Julienne Bušić".avsec. Archived fromthe originalon October 11, 2008.RetrievedMarch 8,2017.
  3. ^abAngelo Patrizio and Mike Mudge."TW 355 Hijacked!".twaseniorsclub.org.RetrievedMarch 8,2017.
  4. ^abBombs for Croatia (Part I),Time Magazine
  5. ^Weiss, Murray (August 27, 1998). "Bid to Free Bomber who Killed N.Y. Cop".New York Post.
  6. ^Bombs for Croatia (Part II),Time Magazine
  7. ^The Hijackee Syndrome,Time Magazine
  8. ^Seigel, Max H. (July 22, 1977)."3 CROATS ARE GIVEN 30-YEAR SENTENCES (Published 1977)".The New York Times.RetrievedAugust 4,2023.
  9. ^"Jutarnji list - Frane Pešut deportiran u Hrvatsku".jutarnji.hr(in Croatian). February 15, 2007.RetrievedAugust 4,2023.
  10. ^After 32 years Bušić freed by his wife and the HHO,Slobodna Dalmacija.June 8, 2008.
  11. ^abRobert Bajruši (July 30, 2007)."HHO u operaciji oslobađanja Zvonka Bušića"[HHO set to free Zvonko Bušić].Nacional(in Croatian).Archivedfrom the original on July 28, 2012.RetrievedMay 6,2017.
  12. ^Zvonko's dream became a reality,Slobodna Dalmacija.June 24, 2008.
  13. ^"Zvonko Bušić 18 years longer in jail than others".javno. Archived fromthe originalon September 22, 2008.RetrievedMarch 8,2017.
  14. ^Paroling of Bušić after 32 years in prison in AmericaArchivedJuly 21, 2008, at theWayback Machine,Večernji list.June 7, 2008.
  15. ^Finally I'm in a free homelandArchivedJuly 26, 2008, at theWayback Machine,Jutarnji list.June 24, 2008.
  16. ^Bušić: I am not a thief that I'd secretly return to CroatiaArchivedJuly 24, 2008, at theWayback Machine,Večernji list.June 24, 2008.
  17. ^Drakulić, Slavenka (August 28, 2008)."Shadows in the sunshine".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.RetrievedMarch 16,2023.
  18. ^Busic, J.E. (2007).Lovers and Madmen: A True Story of Passion, Politics, and Air Piracy.Ink & Paper Group, LLC.ISBN978-0-9769261-0-8.RetrievedMarch 8,2017.
  19. ^"Naslovnica - tportal".daily.tportal.hr. Archived fromthe originalon September 1, 2013.RetrievedMarch 8,2017.
  20. ^"AGENDA-SETTING FUNCTION OF MASS MEDIA* | Public Opinion Quarterly | Oxford Academic".poq.oxfordjournals.org.RetrievedMarch 8,2017.
  21. ^Johnson, J.A.; Ledlow, G.R.; Cwiek, M.A. (2005).Community Preparedness and Response to Terrorism: Communication and the media.Praeger. p. 68.ISBN978-0-275-98373-4.RetrievedMarch 8,2017.
  22. ^https://books.google.ca/books?id=XeP1O_vhZAC&pg=PA68&lpg=PA68&dq=agenda+setting+theory+and+terrorism&source=bl&ots=SmO3mwNU_E&sig=TeVBYAOYOR9mq89WfXXtCIYLzz8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=6ZJuVLqJCs71yAT84IKgCw&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=agenda%20setting%20theory%20and%20terrorism&f=false[dead link]
  23. ^abcd"Terrorism and the Media"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on March 19, 2015.RetrievedOctober 15,2019.
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