National Geographic has produced a documentary about the hijacking of Indian Air 814 which happened on Christmas Eve, 1999. The hijacked aircraft was flown around the Middle East, made three emergency landings and was ultimately taken to Kandahar, Afghanistan where the Taliban took control of the situation.

Passenger Rupin Katyal, who was on his honeymoon, was killed during the ordeal. Two other passengers were stabbed but survived their injuries.

The documentary is up on You Tube in five parts.

I have written previously about the hijacking here and here and have interviewed Dr. Jeanne Moore, the only American on the flight.   

India's former Foreign Affairs Chief, Jaswant Singh, calls the hijacking of Indian Air 814 a "dry run" for the terrorist attacks of 9/11. 

Singh led the negotiations with the Taliban and the Pakistani terrorists which resulted in a prisoner-for-hostage exchange. After the hijackers killed passenger Katyal, the 166 remaining passengers were swapped for convicted terrorists Omar Sheikh, Maulana Masood Azhar and Mushtaq Ahmed Zagar. All three men were being held in Indian prisons.

Omar Sheikh has since been sentenced to death by a Pakastani court for his role in the kidnapping and slaying of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

The hijacking of Indian Air 814 is a key to understanding the origins of the nexus of terror between Al Qaeda, Pakistani terrorists, the Taliban and Pakistan's ISI. The collaborative efforts of these terrorist groups and their state sponsors continues today.

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In an interview published today, India's former Foreign Affairs Chief, Jaswant Singh, calls the hijacking of Indian Air 814 on December 24, 1999 a "dry run" for the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

Singh led the negotiations with the Taliban and Pakistani terrorists that resulted in a prisoner-for-hostage exchange. One-hundred and sixty-six airplane passengers were swapped for convicted terrorists Omar Sheikh, Maulana Masood Azhar and Mushtaq Ahmed Zagar — all three of whom now have considerably more blood on their hands, including Daniel Pearl's.

I have written about Indian Air 814, interviewed Dr. Jeanne Moore — the only American hostage on board — and maintain that this hijacking is a key to understanding the origins of the nexus of terror between Al Qaeda, Pakistani terrorists, the Taliban and Pakistan's ISI.

The collaborative efforts of these terrorist groups and their state sponsors continues today and the situation is as perilous now as it was on December 23, 1999 and September 10, 2001 — as far as aviation security is concerned. Al Qaeda operative Rashid Rauf was sprung from prison last month — with the help of Pakistani police. Rauf is the alleged mastermind of the London Planes Plot of 2006. He is also related by marriage to Maulana Masood Azhar. 

From 'In Service of Emergent India': An Interview with Jaswant Singh by Susan Weinstein: 

Q: What was your strategy for dealing with the terrorists who hijacked an Indian airplane? Are there lessons for the United States in India's experience?

A: [Janswant Singh] The hijack of IC-814 [Indian Airlines Flight 814; Dec. 24, 1999] from Kathmandu finally to Kandahar in Afghanistan was a most painful episode. It was the worst possible site to deal with the situation. There was not even a telephone connection. And it was Christmas Eve. The world was celebrating, while there were 166 human beings confined in a small space in bitter cold with one toilet. You cannot have a strategy when the situation is changing by the hour. Because the Taliban controlled Kandahar, it was possibly the worst place for India to negotiate the release of its citizens. And we had intelligence saying they would blow the plane up on New Year's Eve for the year 2000, so sitting them out was not an option. They asked for $500 million and the release of 36 terrorists in captivity. Government had a responsibility to negotiate. We broke down the demands to the release of three terrorists by Dec. 31. Of course it is only later that I realized the manner in which the hijack was conducted, using an aircraft as a weapon of destruction, had an uncanny similarity to the subsequent attacks on New York's twin towers and the Pentagon. It was a kind of dry run for what was to come. I shared this view at the time with friends in the U.S. but it is partly human nature that unless you experience the danger yourself, it is difficult to heed warnings. 

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Happy New Year! All around the globe, people celebrate New Year’s Eve six billion different ways. But for American Dr. Jeanne Moore, this night — for the rest of her life — is a night to celebrate freedom. Seven New Year’s Eves ago today, Dr. Moore was released from captivity by Islamic Terrorists. It was December 31, 1999. After eight days held hostage in the belly of an airplane, Dr. Moore stepped down from Indian Air 814 and onto the chilly tarmac at Kandahar Airport in Afghanistan. Here’s what freedom looked like to her then. Those men in the pick-up trucks — sporting turbans, beards, and heavy weapons — are Taliban (photo: TerrorismFiles.org).

Jeanne Moore is a sixty-year old mother and grandmother, a psychotherapist from central California with a joyful disposition and an indomitable spirit. A little over seven years ago she was enjoying a long overdue vacation — flying from Katmandu, Nepal to New Delhi, India — when her flight was hijacked by five, armed and grenade-wielding terrorists. It was the last Christmas Eve of the twentieth century. The hijacking of Indian Air 814 was the only millennium terrorist plot that came to fruition.

The hijackers ordered the plane to be flown across the Middle East while they stabbed non-compliant passengers and hunted for jet fuel. One first class passenger, Rupin Katyal, — a young Indian man on his honeymoon — was stabbed so violently, his head is said to have separated from his body.

The Airbus 300 made harrowing, emergency landings in India, Pakistan and United Arab Emirates where Rupin Katyal’s body was eventually dumped on the tarmac. Finally, the plane was flown to Afghanistan. There, a little-known ruling religious militia called the Taliban arranged a hostage-for-prisoner exchange. Three convicted terrorists were sprung from Indian jails and escorted to Afghanistan by Indian officials. On the last night of the millennium, Dr. Jeanne Moore and her fellow airplane passengers were released from captivity in that sinister exchange.

After her return to American soil, Dr. Moore spoke to Barbara Walters about the hijacking. Then she got quiet. In the years that have passed, most notably in the years after 9/11, Dr. Moore has watched terror events unfold around the world with a close eye. In particular, she’s followed news about what happened to the three convicted terrorists for whom she and the others were exchanged.

Here’s how the Indian Government profiled the terrorists after their release:

Since their release, the terrorists’ rap sheets have expanded. After being released from prison, Omar Sheikh, went to Pakistan where he masterminded the kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter, Daniel Pearl. Sheikh is also believed to have been the ‘paymaster for the hijackers‘ of 9/11. Maulana Masood Azhar has been tied to the London Planes Plot as well as two, deadly terror attacks inside India.

In a series of interviews over the past year, Dr. Moore has shared with me her thoughts and understanding on what it means when governments negotiate with terrorists. She understands such things first hand.

Stay tuned for more on Dr. Moore and the hijacking of Indian Air 814 at The Aviation Nation.

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