Documentaries - History

Flight AF 8969 Algiers-Paris, (2002)

The secret story of a hijacking

On December 24th 1994 an Air France Airbus bound from Algiers to Paris was seized by four members of the Armed Islamic Group. After 54 hours of terror and anguish, the hostages were finally freed by French special operation forces at the Marignane airport. Back safely on the ground, the passengers told authorities ï¿½the terrorists wanted to blow themselves up over Paris.ï¿½ There was, then, a precedent foreshadowing the September 2001 attacks. Tongues are finally starting to loosen as new elements come to light, revealing the true motives of the AIG terrorists who almost pulled off the Islamist movementï¿½s first suicide air attack. The film includes never-before-heard firsthand accounts that reveal why Djamel Zitouni, the head of the AIG at the time, decided to declare war on France. They also allow us to retrace how the hijacking was planned and carried out, and present the AIGï¿½s explanation of why the attack failed.