Rome and Vienna Airport Attacks

The Rome and Vienna Airport Attacks were two major terrorist attacks carried out on December 27, 1985.

On that day, 4 terrorists walked to the ticket counter of Israel's El Al airlines at Rome's Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport and opened fire with assault rifles and grenades. They killed 16 people and wounded 80 others before 3 of them were killed and the remaining one shot and captured by police. Five Americans were among those killed.

Minutes later, at the Schwechat Airport (Vienna International Airport) in Vienna, Austria, 3 terrorits carried out a mirror attack. They killed 4 people and wounded 39 others. The terrorists then fled the airport by car, and Austrian authorities gave chase. They killed one terrorist and then captured another.

In all, the attacks killed 20 and wounded 120. They were carried out by terrorists from the Abu Nidal group, which was retaliating for the Israeli bombing of PLO headquarters in Tunis on October 1. Libya was accused of funding the terrorists who carried out the attacks, but although they denied the charges they did praise the assaults.