WASHINGTON Reuter: President Ronald Reagan says there is no punishment too severe for Karachi airliner hijacking which some US. Officials say may have been engineered by the Palestinian ABU Nidal group. Reagan made his statement after the 15hour ordeal on Pan American flight 073 ended in bloody chaos with the hijackers shooting passengers and Pakistani commandos storming the plane.
At least 18 people were killed two of them hijackers and 65 were injured. The State department said that it knew of only one American killed but said at least 17 were injured.
Ina statement read in California by White House spokesman Larry Speakers Reagan called the hijacking a despicable and cowardly crime
“We can think of no punishment too severe for the criminals responsible” Reagan said “we are confident that those who perpetrated this brutal act will be brought to justice”.
“The government of Pakistan acted decisively and boldly to bring this nightmare to an end and we applaud its exemplary resolve in doing so” Reagan said.
U.S Officials who spoke on condition they not be named told Reuters that they suspected that the hijackers were linked to the ABU Nidal group blamed for attacks on Rome and Vienna airports last December.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 12, 1986
