LOT Polish Airlines Flight 165 hijacking
Encyclopedia
LOT Polish Airlines Flight 165 hijacking was the hijacking
of a LOT Polish Airlines
that occurred on August 30, 1978. The hijackers from East Germany (GDR / DDR) were seeking political asylum in West Germany
(FRG / BRD). The plane landed safely, and the primary hijacker was sentenced to time served, the nine months he had already served during pretrial detention.
. However, Fischer did not appear, and after four days of waiting for him Ruske and Tiede - not having any information - concluded, that Fischer must have been arrested when travelling through East Germany. Their conclusion was right, Fischer had indeed been arrested and later sentenced to eight years of jail in East Germany for preparing their Republikflucht (escape from GDR)
, outlawed as a crime by East German legislation. After two years Fischer was released after the West German federal government had paid a ransom to East Germany. Ruske and Fischer married after his release in West Germany.
Ruske and Tiede then concluded that they were trapped, with arrest awaiting them when returning to East Germany. So they developed the plan to hijack
a plane, flying to East Berlin
's Schönefeld Airport, to the U.S. Air Force base at Tempelhof Airport
in West Berlin
. They bought a toy starting pistol
in a Polish fleamarket, and then booked three flights on LOT Polish Airlines
Flight 165 from Gdańsk
, Poland
, to East Berlin.
airliner with 63 passengers making Flight 165 from Gdańsk to East Berlin. Tiede, armed with the toy starting pistol, took a flight attendant
hostage and succeeded in forcing the aircraft to land at Tempelhof Airport in West Berlin. Not only did Tiede, Ruske and her daughter claim sanctuary in West Berlin, but so did another six East Germans who were passengers.
was very reluctant to prosecute Tiede and Ruske because of the West German policy of supporting the right of East Germans to flee oppression in the GDR. But the Federal government of the United States
had just spent years, finally successfully, persuading the East German government to sign a hijacking treaty. Consequently the case was prosecuted in the never-before-convened "United States Court for Berlin".
Over the prosecutor's objections, US federal judge
Herbert Jay Stern
ruled that the defendants were entitled to be tried by a jury
, a procedure abolished in Germany in 1924. The case against Tiede's co-defendant Ingrid Ruske was dismissed because she had not been notified of her Miranda rights before signing a confession. Tiede was acquitted on three charges, including hijacking and possession of a firearm, but convicted of taking a hostage. The jury found Tiede guilty of hostage-taking, but not guilty of Acts Against the Safety of Civil Aviation, deprivation of liberty and battery
. The minimum sentence for hostage-taking was three years. However, Stern sentenced Tiede to time served during pretrial detention, about nine months. Stern accounted for Tiede's emergency situation and plight to face imprisonment in East Germany for attempted Republikflucht.
, was made into a movie in 1988.
Aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. In most cases, the pilot is forced to fly according to the orders of the hijackers. Occasionally, however, the hijackers have flown the aircraft themselves, such as the September 11 attacks of 2001...
of a LOT Polish Airlines
LOT Polish Airlines
Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT S.A. , trading as LOT Polish Airlines, is the flag carrier of Poland. Based in Warsaw, LOT was established in 1929, making it one of the world's oldest airlines still in operation. Using a fleet of 55 aircraft, LOT operates a complex network to 60 destinations in Europe,...
that occurred on August 30, 1978. The hijackers from East Germany (GDR / DDR) were seeking political asylum in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
(FRG / BRD). The plane landed safely, and the primary hijacker was sentenced to time served, the nine months he had already served during pretrial detention.
Background
The GDR citizens Hans Detlef Alexander Tiede (aka Detlev Tiede) and his friend Ingrid Ruske and her 12-year-old daughter had travelled to Poland to meet there with Ruske's West German boyfriend Horst Fischer, who planned to bring false West German papers to enable their escape by ferry to West German TravemündeTravemünde
Travemünde is a borough of Lübeck, Germany, located at the mouth of the river Trave in Lübeck Bay. It began life as a fortress built by Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony, in the 12th century to guard the mouth of the Trave, and the Danes subsequently strengthened it. It became a town in 1317 and in...
. However, Fischer did not appear, and after four days of waiting for him Ruske and Tiede - not having any information - concluded, that Fischer must have been arrested when travelling through East Germany. Their conclusion was right, Fischer had indeed been arrested and later sentenced to eight years of jail in East Germany for preparing their Republikflucht (escape from GDR)
Republikflucht
"Republikflucht" and "Republikflüchtling" were the terms used by authorities in the German Democratic Republic to describe the process of and the person leaving the GDR for a life in West Germany or any other Western country .The term...
, outlawed as a crime by East German legislation. After two years Fischer was released after the West German federal government had paid a ransom to East Germany. Ruske and Fischer married after his release in West Germany.
Ruske and Tiede then concluded that they were trapped, with arrest awaiting them when returning to East Germany. So they developed the plan to hijack
Aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. In most cases, the pilot is forced to fly according to the orders of the hijackers. Occasionally, however, the hijackers have flown the aircraft themselves, such as the September 11 attacks of 2001...
a plane, flying to East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
's Schönefeld Airport, to the U.S. Air Force base at Tempelhof Airport
Tempelhof International Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport was an airport in Berlin, Germany, situated in the south-central borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg. The airport ceased operating in 2008 in the process of establishing Schönefeld as the sole commercial airport for Berlin....
in West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
. They bought a toy starting pistol
Starting pistol
A starting pistol or starter pistol is a handgun or electronic toy weapon that is fired to start track and field races, as well as competitive swimming races at some meets. The loud report of the gun going off is a signal to the athletes to begin the event. Usually a cloud of smoke can be seen...
in a Polish fleamarket, and then booked three flights on LOT Polish Airlines
LOT Polish Airlines
Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT S.A. , trading as LOT Polish Airlines, is the flag carrier of Poland. Based in Warsaw, LOT was established in 1929, making it one of the world's oldest airlines still in operation. Using a fleet of 55 aircraft, LOT operates a complex network to 60 destinations in Europe,...
Flight 165 from Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
, Poland
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
, to East Berlin.
Hijacking
On August 30, 1978, Tiede and Ruske hijacked a Polish LOT Tupolev Tu-134Tupolev Tu-134
The Tupolev Tu-134 is a twin-engined airliner, similar to the American Douglas DC-9 and the French Sud Aviation Caravelle, and built in the Soviet Union from 1966–1984. The original version featured a glazed-nose design and, like certain other Russian airliners , it can operate from unpaved...
airliner with 63 passengers making Flight 165 from Gdańsk to East Berlin. Tiede, armed with the toy starting pistol, took a flight attendant
Flight attendant
Flight attendants or cabin crew are members of an aircrew employed by airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard commercial flights, on select business jet aircraft, and on some military aircraft.-History:The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar...
hostage and succeeded in forcing the aircraft to land at Tempelhof Airport in West Berlin. Not only did Tiede, Ruske and her daughter claim sanctuary in West Berlin, but so did another six East Germans who were passengers.
Trial
The West German Federal GovernmentCabinet of Germany
The Cabinet of Germany is the chief executive body of the Federal Republic of Germany. It consists of the Chancellor and the cabinet ministers. The fundamentals of the cabinet's organization are set down in articles 62 to 69 of the Basic Law.-Nomination:...
was very reluctant to prosecute Tiede and Ruske because of the West German policy of supporting the right of East Germans to flee oppression in the GDR. But the Federal government of the United States
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
had just spent years, finally successfully, persuading the East German government to sign a hijacking treaty. Consequently the case was prosecuted in the never-before-convened "United States Court for Berlin".
Over the prosecutor's objections, US federal judge
United States federal judge
In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....
Herbert Jay Stern
Herbert Jay Stern
Herbert Jay Stern is a lawyer in New Jersey who formerly served as a federal judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and as United States Court for Berlin....
ruled that the defendants were entitled to be tried by a jury
Jury trial
A jury trial is a legal proceeding in which a jury either makes a decision or makes findings of fact which are then applied by a judge...
, a procedure abolished in Germany in 1924. The case against Tiede's co-defendant Ingrid Ruske was dismissed because she had not been notified of her Miranda rights before signing a confession. Tiede was acquitted on three charges, including hijacking and possession of a firearm, but convicted of taking a hostage. The jury found Tiede guilty of hostage-taking, but not guilty of Acts Against the Safety of Civil Aviation, deprivation of liberty and battery
Battery (crime)
Battery is a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault which is the fear of such contact.In the United States, criminal battery, or simply battery, is the use of force against another, resulting in harmful or offensive contact...
. The minimum sentence for hostage-taking was three years. However, Stern sentenced Tiede to time served during pretrial detention, about nine months. Stern accounted for Tiede's emergency situation and plight to face imprisonment in East Germany for attempted Republikflucht.
In Popular Culture
The 1984 book which Judge Stern wrote about the event, Judgment in BerlinJudgment in Berlin
Judgment in Berlin is a 1984 book by federal judge Herbert Jay Stern about a hijacking trial in the United States Court for Berlin in 1979, over which he presided....
, was made into a movie in 1988.