A “human time bomb” was prevented from boarding an El Al Boeing 707 jet at Zurich Airport yesterday, thereby foiling a terrorist plan to blow up the plane in midair, killing its 47 passengers and crew members bound for Tel Aviv. The terrorist outrage was intended to coincide with Israel’s observance of its 32nd anniversary of independence yesterday.
The plan was detected when a 26-year-old West German showed signs of nervousness as he approached the El Al check-in counter prior to boarding Flight 346 to Tel Aviv. This aroused the suspicion of airline personnel. The man was subjected to a thorough check including on X-ray which showed a bomb and detonator taped to his body. The detonator was attached to an altimeter which would have caused the bomb to explode when the plane reached a certain altitude.
The West German was detained for questioning by the Swiss police and the lethal device was exploded harmlessly. The police said later that his identity could not be immediately established because his passport was a forged one. The man claimed that he had no idea he was carrying a bomb. He said he thought the parcel attached to his body contained diamonds he had agreed to smuggle into Israel.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
