"THE ASSAULT" "Emma?" "We're hiding." "Emma?" "Where are they?" "Wait, honey." "There's no one here?" "There's no one home?" "How come there's no one home?" "We're hiding." "I saw you two." "Hi!" "Give me a kiss." " No." " What?" "No." " What about me?" " Yes." "No kiss." " I'm pouting." " You're pouting." "Do you want to read a story?" "I want this." "It's broken." "You fix it." "So..." ""Lou the wolf is waiting for his mum," ""but he doesn't like waiting." ""Lou the wolf throws pebbles" ""and she tells him," ""Oh you are wise, little Lou."" ""Lou the wolf starts to howl."" " Titote." " She's coming." "It's late, isn't it?" "How about we go to bed?" "I want Daddy to hug me in the living room." "AII right." "Show Daddy your eyes." "They look a little tired." "Let me see those eyes." "Let me see your eyes." "I think there's a kiss coming." "Look." "No." "I don't want to." "Why?" "Because I don't feel like it." "You don't feel like getting kisses?" "AIgiers December 24th,1994 Airport Houari Boumedieni" "A few clouds at 1 ,800 feet." "Overcast at 2,500 feet." "Temperature of 3 degrees." "Dew point at 0." "QNH 998 hectopascaIs." "Some turbulence when we arrive." "We'II ask ATC to stay high as long as possible." "AII right." "Let's pray." "Come on." "God is great." "RESTRICTED AREA" "Do you mind if we switch seats?" "I'd Iike to sit next to my parents." "Of course." "Before going through the checklist, we'II go through the clearance points." "Got it." "special presidential police." "We're checking the passports." "I'II go with you." "No, we just need a few minutes." "hello everyone." "This is your pilot." "Please stay seated." "Presidential policemen will now perform a passport check." "Take out your passports." "Do you have the passports?" "Are you from AIgiers?" "I'm glad you're so careful." "Give me your passport." "Hurry up." "You down there!" "Wait!" "Sit down!" "What's going on?" "Can I help?" " No, thank you." " AII right." "Get back!" "We're God's soldiers!" "We're hijacking this plane in the name of allah!" "Cover your hair!" "We are the GIA." "Nobody moves, understood?" "Cover yourself, I said!" "For Him, we shall die!" "Take off right now!" "I can't." "The steps are still attached." "call and tell them to remove them." "God is great!" "Cover your hair." "We are the GIA." "This plane is ours." "Remove the steps." "Got it?" "Remove the steps." "No." "I don't know." "We just received the info..." "Over 200 passengers." "Four or five hijackers." "Four men for sure." " There may be a woman." " Who told you?" "BaIIadur's team shares info." " You can't understand that." " Fuck you." "Transfer the important calls to the crisis unit." "You have line 4." "I want to be the first to know anything." "It has GIA written all over it." "The question is:" "what is their objective?" " Our agents will contact the head." " DjameI Zitouni." "GIA works in independent units." "Months can go by before Zitouni is informed." "I want to put a face on all this and negotiate with someone." "For now the AIgerians are refusing to let the French intervene." "Find out how we can get around them." "We bring the plane back without losing any lives." "When it's in our air space, it becomes a French issue." "This might end in a blood bath." "I don't want my team to get sprayed." "Leroy..." "Warn the GIGN." "An AF plane is taken hostage in algiers." "We have to do an intervention drill." "They're waiting for me." "Get ready." "And the work force?" "AII the men within 300 miles are going to the barracks." "call those on leave who haven't left yet." " We want to go too." " No." "I need you in the office and with the families." "Yes, Commander." "Shit." "Can we give this away?" "Before we go, some news from Algeria and from France because Air France has just informed us that a plane heading for Paris has been stopped at the Algiers airport and is surrounded by armed men..." "I'm coming!" "More on this at 8 p.m." "Thank you for watching and have a great afternoon." "I'm telling you to remove the steps!" "Remove them immediately!" "Take the steps away!" "Let the women, children and elderly go and we'll remove the steps." "I'II happily let the children go." "They tire me out." "We waste time shutting them up." "You're right." "Bring me the cop." "talk to the government." "tell them that we are demanding that Abassi Madani and all BeIhadj be set free immediately." "Do you understand?" "Get out." "They're waiting for you." "The President and Prime Minister will be listening." "The hijackers executed an algerian policeman." "In AIgiers, President ZérouaI is withholding information." "He doesn't want the GIGN involved." "It's all happening on their soil, but a plane is legally an embassy." "How will France look if we don't do anything?" "We have to show our fangs." " Are they letting everyone go?" " Just the women and children." "So?" "How'd it go with Favier?" "He loved me." "How long did your first mission last?" "17 hours behind a rifle." "It was freezing cold." " 10 hours." " 10 hours?" "Excuse me." "I know I shouldn't be here right now." "It's ridiculous." "I can't do it." "I'm going crazy." "It's on every channel." "I don't want you to go." "I don't want that." "We're just picking them up." "That's all." "I know." "So?" "See you tonight." "Bye, Daddy." "We're not scared of you, you bunch of harkis." "Traitors!" "Don't move, stay here." "Sit down." "Don't let me down." "I want a photo, a name, something concrete." "And I want it quickly." "Do you have my fax number?" "call me back." "The Spanish are letting us take position in Majorca." "An identical Airbus A300 will be waiting for us in Roissy." "roland, take the latecomers." "Meet us in Majorca with the transaII." "It just has to take off." "We all agree on that." "The mastermind of the operation is all Touchent, better know to us as "Tarek"." "The Chrysanthemum Operation." "He's one of the big fish at FIS we were after." "He got away." "He was seen in a house in Sonacotra but when we searched it, he had vanished." "He's rumoured to be a double or triple agent." "For whom?" "AIgeria, Russia and probably us." "What do you have in mind?" "Buying peace." "The GIA has had 3 years of civil war." "The organisation has no money left." "We shouldn't confront them." "We have to talk to their wallets." "If we fail, we'd be financing terrorism." "will you take out the steps?" "Yes or no?" "Ask them." "Go on!" "AIgiers runway, Air France 8969." "please remove the steps." "AIgiers runway, Air France 8969." "This is the pilot, do you copy?" "MakhIouf." "Bring me the Vietnamese man." "Let's go." "Aren't you ashamed?" "This miscreant is near AIIah." "carole, come to the crisis unit." "We want you to explain your idea." "It all goes back to him." "all Touchent, a 38 year-oId high-cIass AIgerian." "He studied History at the Sorbonne and worked at the GIA." "His biggest enemy is AIgiers, not Paris." "That's for sure." " So?" " So we can talk to him." "We can negotiate with him." "The DGSE gave me a contact there." "He knows where Touchent is." "We just have to give him a present." "How much will it cost?" "Miss." "AII my brothers are married." "Yahia has a son, Mustapha has three." "Even SaIim..." "I'm the only single one." "And that's not good." "I see you're not wearing a ring." "Yes?" "My name is CaroIe Jeanton." "I work for the Foreign Ministry." "I'm speaking in its name." "Can I ask with whom I'm speaking?" "Are you all Touchent?" "I'll pass the information you give me to him." "Good." "My superiors wish to negotiate with him." "I just need a direct line to him." "I will call this number in an hour." "Be ready to take the A4 towards Marne-la-Vallée." "So all Touchent is in France?" "Jacques, go with her and take over." "You watch, carole." "If this goes wrong, it's on you." "Sunday at 8:50 p.m. on France 3." "Good evening." "Two deaths have been confirmed by Algerian authorities." "The hostage taking of passengers on the Algiers-Paris flight has become dramatic." "The aircraft has been in the hands of four armed men since this morning." "The commando has let a total of 57 people go." "The facts and the first footage by Zinedine Boudaoud." "Air France's A300 Airdus has been immobilised for almost 12 hours on the Algiers runway." "The lights are off and the doors are closed..." "Sunday, December 25th, 1994 palma de Majorca Airport" "Come on, it's time to get out." "quickly." "Dry yourself off a little." "Wait, honey, stay there." "Daddy." "Wait in the car." "You have no business here." "I can't protect you." "What do we do?" "Do what they said, don't go faster than 30 mph." "At the next junction, follow the signs to Meaux." "Don't move." "Don't move, I said!" "Who's talking?" "Who's talking?" "Answer." "It's me." "You can take it off." "If you asked to see me, it's because you have an offer." "I'm listening." "There are 700,000 francs here." "They're yours." "For your organisation or for you personally." "Once you've taken this money we have no control over its destination." " What do you expect from me?" " Convince them to stop everything." "Is that all?" "I must be too much of an idealist." "I thought you would promise to force my government to free my brothers." "Instead you come to me with small change." "I couId sIit your throat for that." "You don't know who you're dealing with." "We're determined and we won't recoil." "Even if this war lasts 1 ,000 years, we'II fight." "Our sons will take our places." "We will hit you where and when we like." "I don't accept it but I'II keep it." "We will part ways here." "Why are you in Paris?" "Your Arabic is excellent." "The plane will be in Paris soon." "There will be a press conference." "You don't honour the Koran." "You're saying our combat is a lie." "The guards are watching you." "They're writing down your actions." "They know what you do." "The righteous will be rewarded but the corrupt will burn in hell... on the day of retribution." "police." "Hands over your heads." "police." "Nobody moves!" "police." "Hands over your heads!" "Don't move!" "You've been hit!" "If you have any doubts about a man's hands, lift them." "Or a woman's hands." "God is great!" "It's a suicide mission." "What does that mean?" "This hijacking is different." "They want the plane to crash in Paris." "Do you have proof of that?" "Touchent is in Paris but... he didn't come to negotiate." "He just wanted a front-row seat." "I think they're going to target a symbolic place or building." "We can't act on your intuition." "AII I know is that you spent the special funds." "Let's keep going." "Can the French guy drive the steps?" "If you want, I can bring him over." "Can you drive?" "Yes." "Open the door." "What's your name?" "Yannick Beugnet." "AII right, Yannick." "You shouldn't be scared." "only fear God." "You'II go down and take the steps away." "You'II be free afterwards." "Go!" "Release the hostages." "We can talk." "What's wrong?" "There are jacks in the ground." "I can't take them out." " Brother?" " What is it?" "I can help you." "Come here." "I know how to move the steps." "I've done it before." "I work here." "I can take them away for you." "What's yourjob?" "Customs officer." "Customs officer?" "Your wallet." "Saâda MeIki?" "That's me." "What's this?" "That's... all my savings." "I'II return this when you come back." "What's he doing?" "Shoot!" "Stop!" "Give me that." "Mustapha!" "Enemy of God!" "We are God's soldiers." "God is great!" "You're all rotten!" "You'II all traitors, greedy for money." "That's all you want." "God's enemies!" "That's all you're interested in." "Get up!" "What's going on Yahia?" "What's going on here?" "Nobody move." "Go on, talk." "Go on!" "My name is Yannick Beugnet." "I work at the French embassy." "Our lives are in danger." "If you don't do anything, they'II kill us." "Do something..." "I swear I'II put a bullet in his head and throw him to you." "We're not afraid of you." "You're dealing with men who have faith and don't ever retreat." "I swear that if this goes on for a year, we'II last a year." "We are God's soldiers." "God entrusted us with this mission." "We'II hit whatever we want to hit whenever we want." "Is that clear?" "So, big guy, do you have anything to say?" "Yahia." "You can stop everything." "It's not too late to stop." "please, my boy." "I Iove you, Mum, but I Iove God more than you." "We'll see each other in paradise." "Have you thought about your boy and about me?" "You can't leave like this." "Don't do this." "Yahia." "The Algerian government will spare your life." "AII you have to do is release the hostages." "Do you think I'm an idiot?" "You have until 9:30 p.m." "Understood?" "I have a surprise for you." "Then we'II blow up this plane and you can't do anything about it." "I'm losing my patience." "Open the door." "Don't do it." "This miscreant is near AIIah." "Madam, get in the car." "Sit down!" "We are God's soldiers." "We are God's soldiers!" "God is great!" "God is great!" "We are God's soldiers!" "That's enough." "Listen carefully." "A Frenchman has been killed." "If the plane doesn't take off, we'II contact the U.N. Security council." "Do you understand?" "Go tell your president that." "Early this afternoon," "Prime Minister Balladur arrived in Paris and went to the Matignon hotel to meet the ministers." "French authorities will protect the passengers first." "The government's plan of action has been clearly defined:" "to do everything to insure that the hostages are safe, especially the French hostages and the Air France personnel." "The Islamic commando delivered a new ultimatum." "If by 9:30 p.m." "the plane hadn't taken off, a French person would be killed." "The ultimatum expired and eight minutes later the commando acted." "The Frenchman, Yannick Beugnet, from the French embassy in Algiers was then killed." "As a result, France and Algeria gave their go ahead and at 2 a.m..." "Air traffic control tower calling for AF 8969." "Air France 8969 listening." "You have authorisation for take off." "If we storm the plane, I'II go in first." "We're not there yet." "First, we'II negotiate as much as we can." "You're doing yourjob." "You're using political reasoning." "But they're warriors." "They don't engage in politics." "When they do, they don't negotiate." "They want two mujahideen to be set free?" "Yes." "AII this for two anonymous men?" "Why Paris?" "This operation will be unfavourable." "We didn't chose the field or the weapons." "There will be losses. and you say you want to go in first." "What does that mean?" "I'm listening." "As you know, in order to have electricity on board, we used the back-up engine." "Ten tons of kerosene is not enough to get to Paris." "What does that mean?" "Either we wait for AIgiers to fuel the plane or we go to marseille, refuel, and go to Paris." "We'II go to marseille." "I'II tell them." "At 1 :45 a.m. at the Algiers airport, 3 mechanics went to the plane." "They took out the obstacles from the runway, and removed the steps." "At 1 :55, the plane began to shake." "Five minutes later, it took off." "The pilot was in a hurry to leave..." "This is just a first victory." "I spoke to the Prime Minister." "The possibility of a suicide mission concerned him." "The Ministry of Interior took over but he wants you on the case." "The plane will be escorted by two Mirage 2000s." "If it doesn't land in marseille, it'II be shot down." "Arrival in the zone in 30 minutes." "marseille" " Marignane Airport" "Good evening." "The Airbus will be here in an hour." "We'II need all your people to cooperate so that we can set up." "We detoured all air traffic to Nice and MontpeIIier." "Which runway is farthest from the control tower?" "Number 3, I think." "Number 3." "It'II land there." "We'II set up our PC OPS in the nearest hangar." "No problem." "We'II set it up." "Do you have the materials we requested?" "Everything's in the hangar." "I'II take you there." "It's ready." "Set up the negotiation with the Préfet." "I'II get on your frequency." "This is Denis." "deployment of armed back-up on the runway." "The airplane is approaching." "Itjust appeared over the Roses Mountain." "It has started landing." "End of mission." "The Airbus is approaching." "It's coming!" "Welcome to France." "We're happy to have you here." "I'm PréfetGuérin." "is Yahia with you?" "I don't want to talk to you." "We're going to Paris and you will give us fuel." "You have until 9 p.m." "Not one minute longer." "I will do my best." "How much kerosene do you need?" "29 tons?" "They need nine for Paris." "They're making a bomb." "More kerosene means more fire." "They want to crash into Paris." "They want to be a symbol." "They only introduced Mr SoIignac." "Who are you?" "carole Jeanton from the Foreign Ministry." "The Prime Minister sent us here to ensure that this information is taken into consideration." "The plane will not leave marseille." "Didier for Denis for the ids." "Two terrorists in the cockpit." ""Boss" is the one in contact with Nanard," ""Warrior" is the one who has a Kalashnikov AK47." "Two terrorists in the back." ""Curly" is the one in the passenger aisle." "And "little"" "is the one that looks young." "Do all the shooters copy the IDs?" "Christian OK." " JP OK." " Bill OK." "Steph OK." "Paris Monday December 26th, 1994" "hello?" "You want me to hold?" "OK." "Yes, I can give them to you." "30 passenger deaths, 10 GIGN deaths." "Good bye." "What was that?" "An estimation of deaths in the case of an assault." "Marignane is prepared." "We've got a problem." "The fuel workers refuse to go near the plane." "They're discussing it." "It's understandable." "I don't care. lt's 9:05!" "Make a gesture." "Let someone go." "I'm only here to get fuel." "I told you 9 p.m. lt's 9:05." "Do you want to know what I'll do?" "I need more time. I can't give you what I don't have, I'm sorry." "How much time?" "I don't know." "At least an hour." "Fine. I want a press conference." "Denis?" "Yes." "Shit." "Mummy." "Where are we going?" "Come on, honey, Iet's go." "Yes?" "One minute." "The Ministry of the Interior." "Yes?" "Yes, sir." "No, I don't agree." "We're negotiating, we still have arguments left." "An assault would be premature." "The GIGN will intervene when we decide it's time." "Major Favier?" "This is CaroIe Jeanton." "We met at the Ministry before you left for Majorca." "I understand your doubts about storming the plane." "I suggest that we establish a plan of conduct." "You will intervene, if the hijackers endanger passenger lives or try to take off." "I agree." "Never do that again." "So, Préfet?" "Clear out the first rows, Yahia." " For the journalists and cameras." " We're ready." "They can come." "Yahia, you know that the French government is waiting for a gesture." "I will release two hostages." "That's our last gesture." "When they're on the ground, you'll have 20 mins to bring fuel." "Otherwise we'll kill everyone." "At 3:30 p.m. two passengers, a man and a woman, are seen leaving the plane." "She seems weak." "They are the first hostages freed since the plane landed in France." "Thank you." "That's important information for us." "My daughter LeiIa, she's still in the plane." "please get her out." "Get her out." "I made a gesture." "Now it's your turn to show us if you're a man of your word." "I'm trying." "The fuel workers still refuse..." "Leave the fuel truck 600 feet away from here." "The driver leaves the keys and goes away." "What do you say?" "I'll see if that's possible." "If I say it's possible, it is." "And I want a press conference." "There's a problem." "The trucks are very big." "You need a special permit to drive them..." "You're lying." "You're making all this up." "You just don't want to give us fuel." "You're liars." "You're conspiring against us!" "Denis, Yahia is very hostile." "I think we should move in." "Their last ultimatum has almost expired." "They might act." "They're heavily armed." "We'II be fighting in a small space." "These aren't average maniacs." "There is to be no doubt in your minds when you go in the plane." "If a colleague is hurt, even if he's your partner... you keep going." "Go." "Everybody take your position!" "plane moving!" "Block the runway with the tanks." "Start the Pumas." "Roger that." "bolt cutter!" "Tanks in position." "Runway blocked." "Position support-fire?" "Support-fire in approach." "The plane has just stopped." "Lower your gun." "That's it." "That's the Death Prayer." "You have to act now." "Denis, what are you doing?" "Shooters are taking positions." "Top, action!" "It started." "Didier, confirmation?" "Those in the back are going to the front." " GIGN!" " Nobody move." "Hands over your heads." "Shoot." "God is great!" "Nobody moves!" "Hands over your head!" "Nobody moves." "Don't move!" "Get up!" "Strength and power only exists in God!" "Don't move down there!" "Shoot over here!" "God is great!" "allah is the one true God!" "Come on, Iet's go!" "Shoot!" "Keep shooting!" "Come on." "Again." "Stop." "Go in the corner and hide." "On your heads!" "Put your hands on your head!" "Get down." "allah is the one true God!" "Aim for the cockpit." "Right window!" "30 cm up." "Target in three seconds." "Yahia." "Die on your feet." "Yahia." "Evacuation terminated." "Let's go!" "Grenade!" "I'm going into the plane." "Stay here." "We'II go get him together." "Grenade!" "There are Frenchmen in the cockpit." "AII the terrorists are dead." "Stop shooting the cockpit." "There are still Frenchmen alive." "We're French!" "What's going on?" "We are French!" "hold your hands up!" "I want to see your hands." "Put your hands up." "I won't put my hands up in my plane." "Thierry, look at me." "follow the light." "They were called to speak to the terrorists, under Charles Pasqua and it became obvious" "that the only way to save the human lives was to storm the plane." "So that's what I decided to do." "I would like emphasise the fact that the operation was performed in a way that demonstrated exemplary courage and efficiency." "I want to thank the special forces, especially the GlGN." "The hostages that were killed are in our thoughts, especially Yannick Beugnet, a young French civil servant who was killed yesterday." "Favier's mandate ended in 1997." "He was called back in September 2007 to head the new GIGN." "He used the Marignane events to bring the unit into the 21st century." "In 2008 he was promoted to general." "Wake up, sir." "Keep your eyes open." "Let's go home." " To my house." " Yes." "Zip up my coat, Mum." "Where's Daddy?" "Thierry P. survived." "He retired in Poitiers." "Shot eight times, he still has two bullets in his shoulder." "He was never made major." "following the GIGN's assault the 172 passengers were evacuated unharmed." "Nine members of the group were seriously injured." "French intelligence concluded that their objective was to crash into the eiffel Tower." "Six months later, the GIA performed an attack on the Paris St michel station, leaving eight dead and 1 17 hurt."