A form was provided for victims to let the prosecution team know if they are interested in attending and/or speaking at the sentencing proceeding. One hundred seventy-six passengers, estates, and family members who were victims of the September 5, 1986 terrorist hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi, Pakistan filed suit today against Libya and the individuals convicted of launching the attack. Four terrorists took position in four corners of the cabin and started shooting and throwing grenades. See a copy of the superseding indictment. Witness is a programme of the . The air conditioner stopped, the lights went off. Meherjee Kharas, a 28-year-old Pan Am mechanic on board, was forced to make radio contact with negotiators outside. Also meeting the plane was Harshad Shah, 40, a Los Angeles bank employee, who had waited through the days of fear and uncertainty to learn what had happened to his wife, Raksha; his 65-year-old mother, Jasumati; his son, Pratik, 3, and his daughter, Jignisha, 13. Neerja's colleagues say she was still alive when she arrived at Karachi's Jinnah Hospital. The FBIs Hazardous Devices School at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama is the only facility in the country that trains and certifies the nations public safety bomb technicians. Chandigarh-born Bhanot was the senior flight purser on Pan Am Flight 73 hijacked in Karachi in 1986. In a sense, hers is an utterly American stance. At the airport we identified them and they were captured by the security officials. Suffice it to say there are many shades of gray. "It was 5th September 1986. Courageous crew members like Sunshine went back into the plane to look for survivors when the gunfire ceased and found . I t was September 5, 1986. The motion will be argued on July 21, 2003. I started running towards the terminus. Pity that she was shot at. My co-passenger, a German national, woke me up informing that our plane was hijacked. Hassan Abd Latif Safarini appeared in court Wednesday to begin the sentencing phase for his role as lead hijacker of Pan Am Flight 73. Students who switched tickets escaped the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing. Pity that she was shot at.". A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Other terrified passengers had jumped down on top of her at Karachi, she explained. Though nearly everyone was paralyzed with fear, Neerja Bhanot wasted no time in trying to diffuse the situation. I wanted to give the pilots time to escape in case they were still in the process of climbing down the ropes outside the plane. She was allowed to lie down. Trahan graduated from Louisiana State University with a major in theater production and moved to Orlando, Florida, where she worked at Disney Studios. Survivors of a 1986 terrorist attack on Pan Am 73 in Pakistan faced a nightmare together. October 17, 1990. The crew of Pan Am Flight 73 (three of whom are pictured here with their colleagues) were all in their early to mid 20s at the time of the hijack. Crash, 41 Celebrities Who Have Shared Their Miscarriage Stories, in the Hopes of Helping Others, See PEOPLE's Incredible 20-Year Journey Documenting the Children Whose Dads Died on 9/11, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Eventful Decade: From Their Royal Exit to Baby No. From there, she went to work as a volunteer lawyer for the Northern California ACLU. August 29, 1991 - A 126-count indictment is returned under seal (i.e., in secret) by a grand jury in the District of Columbia. Nevertheless, Crowell & Mooring has insisted that the sharing provision applies. Many went for it. I knew non-Americans could go to their own governments. . The Abu Nidal Organisation (ANO), which they were members of, was opposed to US and Israeli policy in the Middle East. And then another militant, his AK-47 and grenades in clear view, instructed Sunshine to take him to the captain. Sherene says she knew then that time was running out. (Karen T. Borchers/Mercury News). Once they finally got to the hospital, the chaos continued, Sherene says. Victim impact statements can be given in written or recorded form, and a limited number of victims will be permitted to give in-court testimony. Read about our approach to external linking. How I connect my mother to Neerja is that they both died saving children and at the same time. She was hit with a bullet in her skull and had injuries on her chest and hands. See Her Life in Photos, Mickey Guyton and Grant Savoy's Relationship Timeline, Girl, 11, Speaks Out After Dad's Bear Hug Saves Her Life in Airplane Crash, Gloria Estefan and Emilio Estefan's Relationship Timeline, The Cutest Longterm Celebrity Couple Throwback Photos, All of Princess Diana's PEOPLE Magazine Covers Through the Years, Shaquille O'Neal and Ex Shaunie's Relationship Timeline, On the 110th Anniversary of Titanic's Sinking, Revisit Chilling Tales of Life and Death from the PEOPLE Archives. On the hand he was he giving me water and on the other he was still a threat to my life. They occasionally worked the same flight and ran into each other at layovers. Well, kind of, Video shows Memphis jailers beating Black inmate before his death, Skin lesion removed from President Bidens chest last month was cancerous, doctor says, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; We are coming, sheriff says, Newsom, IRS give Californians until October to file tax returns, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Latinx Files: In praise of Jenna Ortega, Aubrey Plaza and moody, deadpan Latinas. KAREN ANDERSON (Pan Am Flight 1736 Passenger/Survivor): It was a survival mode that kicked in, and it was just, "get out of that airplane." KLAAS MEURS (KLM Flight 4805 Co-Pilot/From Flight Voice . Following is a list of passengers on the Pan American Boeing 747 airliner who were killed in the Canary Islands crash, as provided Monday to The Associated Press by Pan American officials: BRADLEY, Col. Clittro, San Juan Capisl, Calif. BRADLEY, Marlorie, San Juan Capist, Calif. BRANDCNBERG, Brita, Corona del Mar, Calif. CAZA, Elizabeth, Winosor, Oatario, Canada. The four suspectsWadoud Muhammad Hafiz al-Turki, Jamal Saeed Abdul Rahim, Muhammad Abdullah Khalil Hussain ar-Rahayyal, and Muhammad Ahmed al-Munawarare believed to have been members of the Abu Nidal Organization, which was designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. Department of State. He said he was looking for American fighter planes," says Sherene. Survivors condemn hijacker in Pan Am massacre . That plot was averted when the pilots climbed out of an emergency cockpit of the Boeing 747. . On that night, Dec. 8, 1963, Flight 214, a Pan American Airways Boeing 707, was returning to the U.S. from from San Juan, Puerto Rico. How much is naturally a matter of debate. Having failed to find an American, the militants settled for someone British. June 19, 2000 - The federal court in the District of Columbia grants the government's request to unseal the indictment, thereby making public the pending criminal charges in the United States. They threw the hand grenades too, one of which fell on my friend Rupal (18), sitting next to me. We were aware they took hold of Rajesh, a US national. "Neerja was an excellent airhostess. Herhold: The heritage of a 24-year-old hijacking, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Los Gatos: Hundreds still without power as Black Road repair project finishes early. Thirty-two years later, Trahan, now 33, is a wife and mother who has learned to cope with unbelievable loss. Neerja Bhanot. Some Southlanders will not be coming home. Philadelphia, flight attendant, SARP, Aytel, Arlington. For her part, Gargi firmly rejects the notion that she is trying to put herself ahead of any other victim. PUBLISHED 12:35 PM ET Oct. 18, 2019. It was his birthday and he was taking revenge. Sonam Kapoor's Neerja has brought alive memories of the braveheart Neerja Bhanot. The terrorists began screaming in Arabic. And screams.". One of those survivors was Purser Her actions led to 359 of the 380 people on-board the plane managing to live through the ordeal. Los Angeles, This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids. Maybe, it was a sign from God to avoid flying but somehow we managed to take the flight. By India Today Web Desk: On this day, exactly 31 years ago, a young flight attendant named Neerja Bhanot boarded Pan Am Flight 73 that would be hijacked on its way to the United States of America. When the firing stopped, I ran to the front and someone pushed me out from the exit. The fundamental issue is whether the sisters are showing great courage in standing up to a big law firm for what should be theirs or whether they are, in essence, greedy. Each is sentenced to death. November 12, 2003 - A status conference was held before Judge Sullivan at which the parties announced that a plea agreement has been reached in the case. "Many have criticised the pilots for leaving the rest of the crew behind, but I was relieved when I saw the pilots were gone, as we were all safer on the ground than we would be in the air. Hassan Abd Latif Safarini appeared in court Wednesday to begin the sentencing phase for his role as lead hijacker of Pan Am Flight 73. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. A 16-hour standoff at Jinnah International Airport in Karchi ended with 22 hostages dead and some 150 injured. Three lives would be saved.". Subscribe May 5, 2003 - The court heard testimony from two FBI agents in connection with the defendant's motion to suppress statements and the defendant's speedy trial motion. I saw Neerja closely when she was collecting passports and another time when they were serving us refreshments.When the terrorists opened fire, my mother fell down injured,while trying to protect and shield me from the bullets. 25th 1977, two 747's crashed into each other in. The Abu Nidal Organisation (ANO) is a Palestinian militant group, now considered largely inactive. Joe Biden's Sister Valerie Opens Up: 'We Bleed Like Every Family in America', Pregnant Woman, 25, and Man Who Recently Celebrated His 20th Wedding Anniversary Killed in Mo. When the lights did go out, all the flight attendants and passengers were in the middle section of the cabin, several seated on the ground in the aisles and near the doors. September 12, 2002 - Defendant Safarini is arraigned on the superseding indictment and pleads not guilty to each of the counts. It showed they were ruthless killers," says Sunshine. At the . Neerja may still be alive if she'd been cared for right away," says Sunshine. Nearly 30 years after the hijack of Pan Am Flight 73 at Karachi airport, six of the plane's crew have spoken to the media for the first time. One of the four hijackers, Mrs. George recalled, said Americans killed his wife and whole family. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. February 12, 2003 - Legal arguments were held before Judge Sullivan, with the attorneys for the government and the defense arguing their positions on the defendant's motion seeking to bar the death penalty in this case. We were informed that all those who hadnt made it to the tarmac had died inside the aircraft. Gari Dave is now a Sunnyvale attorney and she is representing a group of other survivors who are fighting to keep millions in restitution paid to the survivors by the Libyan government, who admitted involvement in the hijacking. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. A passenger informed that his mother had probably had died inside. He also recommended that the Bureau of Prisons assign the defendant to the Administrative Maximum facility in Florence, Colorado, also referred to as "SuperMax. Fellow attendant Sunshine Vesuwala saw one of the hijackers grab a colleague, Neerja Bhanot, and put a gun to her head. I noticed that the evacuation hatch on the ceiling of the cockpit was open, but I pretended not to. The "Shatter Zone" Portion Of The Reconstructed Fuselage Of Pan Am Flight 103, Which Exploded Over Lockerbie In 1988 Is On Display January 31, 2001. I told the terrorist I wanted some water. Sunshine, Madhvi Bahuguna and another flight attendant began collecting passports, quietly avoiding collecting any that were American. The following is a ast of known survivors of the Pan American Boeing 747 involved in the Canary Island crash as provided Monday to The Associated Press by Pan Am officials: CULBERTSON, Slcohen, Green Valley, Arizona. The court date of November 17, 2003, which had previously been set as a date to hear arguments on legal motions not related to the death penalty, has been converted to a status conference. One was naturalized citizen Rajesh Kumar, 29, of Huntington Beach. (In group shot - far left): Massey. I hid below the seats so I was saved. I could see the terrorists walking up and down the aisle, trying to negotiate. The victims were recognized for their extraordinary bravery during the September 5, 1986 terrorist hijacking of Pan Am . The case is being investigated by the Bureaus Washington Field Office. The elderly woman, a resident of a village outside Bombay, had been on her way to Southern California with Kumar and Kumars aunt, Gangaben Patel. The Pan Am 73 terrorist attack killed 20 passengers and crew and severely injured more than 100 of the 380 persons on board. 19 Jan, 2018, 11.19 PM IST. Her sister suffered severe damage to her feet when she leapt from the plane. We stood still and numb, long after the end credits rolled. The answer: "We are Pan Am Flight 914 en route from New York to Miami, Florida, with a crew of 4 and 57 passengers on board." At this point, the control tower personnel were stunned in silence. emailStay Connected Get Morning Report and other email newsletters, Gargi Dave, at home in Sunnyvale, talks about her case on Tuesday, June 15, 2010. Lynn Hartunian, 21, who was a student at SUNY Oswego, was one of the passengers killed on Pan Am Flight 103. Sixteen-month-old Melissa Trahan, on stretcher, is rushed from the scene of the crash of Pan Am Flight 759 in Kenner, La. Rich L.A. homeowners are snapping them up, The problem with Pablo Escobars hippos. Nobody knew what to do. October 2, 2001 - Defendant Safarini is arraigned before Judge Emmet G. Sullivan in the District of Columbia and pleads not guilty to each of the counts in the indictment. Jenny White's parents Bryan and Margaret were touring the United States, stopping off in New Orleans and preparing to fly to Las Vegas on July 9, 1982. More information will be provided on submitting a victim impact statement at a later date. Making sure that victims of crimes are treated with compassion, fairness and respect. We found a few people but not all. Were hoping that with the age-progression photos next to the original photos maybe that will jar some memories or maybe someone has seen these guys walking around.. Our responsibility is to assist U.S. citizens.. 583 people. KENNER, La. Three of the hijackers were fleeing the airport when they were caught by airport security. Pan Am flight 73 hijacking, takeover of a Pan American World Airways jet on September 5, 1986, by hijackers linked to the Ab Nil Organization. Profession: Chief Finance OfficerI was 23 then. Some survivors of the ill-fated PanAm flight 73 recount the sordid memories of that September day in 1986 when the airhostess gave up her life in the line of duty. Judge Sullivan also recommended that the defendant never receive parole. This was given to the 40-odd American passengers of the ill-fated Pan Am Flight 73, but not shared with the Indians, including the kin . September 5, 1986 - Hijacking of Pan Am flight #73 in Karachi, Pakistan. My father, Kalpesh Dalal, was extremely disturbed. It was dark and I was very scared.. Joani and Jack sat in first . A plea proceeding date was set for Tuesday, December 16, 2003, at 10:00 a.m. and the status hearing previously scheduled for November 17, 2003, has been canceled. Murdaughs fall from grace ends in a life sentence for murder, CPAC shows the GOP has deep divisions that may prove impossible to repair, Abortion clinics crossing state borders not always welcome, Black Vietnam veteran finally awarded Medal of Honor, Toxic forever chemicals about to get their first U.S. limits, Hidden, illegal casinos are booming in L.A., with organized crime reaping big profits, Best coffee city in the world? This 747-121 was a big one, the kind with a second-floor lounge at the front of the plane where passengers could sit and have a drink. The initial agreement between the passengers was "designed to avoid infighting," Newberger wrote. The $5 million reward is offered through the State Departments Rewards for Justice Program. Towards the end, they were frustrated because they were looking for pilots and there were none.After a point when it was dark, this leader, I remember him being addressed as Mustafa, said his prayers in a high pitch. (From top left): Nupoor, Sunshine, Sherene, Dilip. These were the 2 cockpit observers who may as well be considered passengers, 2 flight attendants, and 12 passengers. She could have easily escaped first but she chose to push everyone else out. All 259 people on board were killed, and 11 individuals on the ground also died.

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