On this day, 1970: Hundreds held in series of hijacks

Four New York-bound airliners have been hijacked over western Europe in an unprecedented operation carried out by a militant Palestinian group. Three of the planes taken over by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) have been flown to two different locations in the Middle East. One of the hijackers is dead and the other in custody after the crew and passengers on the fourth jet foiled the attack. The PFLP have demanded the release of three Arab dissidents held in a Swiss jail in return for the 382 passengers they are holding hostage.