CBS Evening News open - 1977-10-18

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:00] Nashville.

[0:00] >> This is the CBS Evening News with Walter

[0:04] Kronite.

[0:05] >> Good evening. The ordeal is over for 86

[0:08] men, women, and children hostages on

[0:10] that hijacked Lufansa jet. The plane's

[0:13] passengers and crew were freed in a

[0:14] lightning pre-dawn rescue raid by

[0:17] cracked West German commandos at

[0:19] Somalia's Mogadishu airport. Three of

[0:21] the four hijackers were killed. And a

[0:23] West Germany official said that three

[0:25] jailed terrorists whose release was part

[0:27] of the hijacker's ransom demand

[0:30] committed suicide. Bob McNamera in

[0:32] Germany wraps up the story

[0:35] on Sunday after Lupanza captain Jurgen

[0:37] Schumann refused a terrorist demand to

[0:39] fly from Aiden to Somalia. A terrorist

[0:41] shot the 37year-old pilot to death as

[0:44] Schumann knelt in the presence of the

[0:45] hijacked jets passengers and crew. And

[0:48] from that moment on, a passenger later

[0:50] related, "It all seemed hopeless for us,

[0:52] for there was no chance we would ever

[0:54] survive." But to the surprise of the 86

[0:57] hostages and the hijackers, a German

[0:59] anti-terror squad was preparing a

[1:01] lightning rescue raid recreated here

[1:03] based on eyewitness reports.

[1:06] 28 West German commandos took less than

[1:08] 10 minutes to free the hostages. Using

[1:11] magnetic explosives to blow open the

[1:13] exit hatches above the jet's wings,

[1:15] several commandos entered the plane,

[1:17] igniting special grenades designed to

[1:20] temporarily blind and stun but not

[1:22] injure the hostages. The hostages saw

[1:25] other commandos storm into the plane,

[1:27] shooting and killing three hijackers and

[1:29] wounding a fourth, a woman. Released

[1:32] from their seats, passengers and crew

[1:33] escaped down emergency shoots at the

[1:35] cabin's exits. One commando and nine

[1:38] passengers were slightly injured during

[1:39] the rescue operation.

[1:42] This afternoon, 80 of the former

[1:43] hostages returned to Frankfurt on a

[1:45] special jet. A large crowd offered

[1:47] cheers, but six of the original hostages

[1:50] had decided to stay in Somalia and

[1:52] recuperate from the 4 and 1/2 day ordeal

[1:54] aboard the hijacked plane. Although

[1:57] weary but happy and relieved to be safe,

[1:59] many appeared dazed. And while others

[2:01] carried traces of scratches and bruises,

[2:04] others wore blankets to ward off a

[2:06] chill. Although most appeared to want to

[2:09] be alone with their thoughts, a few

[2:11] offered brief observations.

[2:13] >> Were you frightened when you were on the

[2:15] Yes, I was.

[2:17] >> Did you expect the uh attack to happen?

[2:20] >> No. No. No.

[2:21] >> Can you tell me a little bit?

[2:23] >> No. I'm sorry.

[2:24] >> She can't speak anymore.

[2:25] >> I feel very happy now. Among the

[2:29] passengers taken off the plane was

[2:31] 44year-old Christine Santiago,

[2:33] accompanied by her 5-year-old son, Leo

[2:35] of Santi, California. Mrs. Santiago

[2:38] suffers from a heart condition and was

[2:40] later taken from the airport by

[2:42] stretcher and transferred to a Frankfurt

[2:44] hospital where doctors say her condition

[2:46] is good. After a private meeting with

[2:49] families and friends, the group gathered

[2:51] in a nearby hall for a memorial service

[2:53] honoring the slain pilot of the hijacked

[2:55] airliner. The wife of Captain Jurgen

[2:58] Schuman heard her husband praised as a

[3:00] courageous man who died defending his

[3:02] passengers. Schuman's body was returned

[3:04] to