Israel, U.S. Airlines Warned by Faa on Possible Terrorist Plot

Israel and American airline officials have been warned that Palestinian terrorists may try to hijack or bomb a plane in the next few weeks. The warning was issued last Friday, but disclosed today, by the Federal Aviation Administration in the form of an alert. It cited information from what it termed a reliable source that the plot would take place somewhere in Europe and would be carried out by terrorists disguised as priests or dressed as women. The alert stressed, however, that despite the reliable source for the information it was unconfirmed.

According to the FAA report, the plot was apparently aimed at an Israeli or American air-liner in reprisal for Israel’s downing of a Libyan commercial airliner over the Sinai on Feb. 21. The FAA alert stated that the Palestinians “may believe that recent contact between Israeli Premier Golda Meir and President Nixon indicates that the U.S. supports shooting down the Libyan airliner by Israel.” (See separate story P. 1 from Tel Aviv.)

The Air Transport Association here notified the American carriers operating in Europe. El Al was notified by the State Department. FAA officials would not directly comment on the alert but said it routinely sends out information it receives which has a bearing on aviation security or safety. The information on the latest terrorist plot was believed to have been obtained from U.S. intelligence monitoring Palestinian terrorist radio broadcasts.

The alert was sent one day after explosive-laden cars were found at two separate Israeli installations in New York – in front of the Israel Discount Bank on Fifth Avenue in midtown Manhattan and near the El Al cargo terminal at Kennedy Airport – and after a prominent Jewish journalist in New York received a letter bomb.