Video: When Sheikh Mohammed outsmarted hijackers and saved lives

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Video: When Sheikh Mohammed outsmarted hijackers and saved lives

He can be seen taking leadership position in the tense situation

By Anita Iyer

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Published: Tue 2 May 2017, 1:22 PM

Last updated: Wed 3 May 2017, 3:10 PM

A video of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, dealing with the hijackers of Lufthansa plane from the late 1970s has been shared on Instagram.
In the video, we can see the instrumental role that Sheikh Mohammed, who was the Minister of Defence in 1977, played in saving the lives of those hijacked on board. He can be seen keeping his calm in the tense situation and talking with the hijackers from the control tower. "We got the idea since they ran out of fuel this morning and threatened to kill people," he can be heard saying. 
The Instagram message reads that Sheikh Mohammed "succeeded to end the incident without any losses". The video is an unseen footage and part of the national documents, now shared with the public. 
For those not in the know, Lufthansa Flight 181 was hijacked on October 13, 1977, during a flight from Spain by four members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. On board were 86 passengers and five crew members, piloted by Jürgen Schumann, with co-pilot Jürgen Vietor. After 30 minutes of flight, the aircraft was hijacked by the four militants. 
The plane was diverted to many destinations including Dubai, where they wanted to land for refuelling. The militants asked for a supply of water, food, medicine. While Dubai initially didn't allow the plane to land, it was after the militants threatened to shoot the hostages that the authorities finally agreed.
Watch the video to see Sheikh Mohammed take a leadership position to save the lives of those endangered in the hijack. 
 


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