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.
I-Ii!
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 mom
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.
Alright
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?
Algiers 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 hectopascals.
Some turbulence when we arrive.
We'll ask ATC to stay high as long as possible.
Alright
Let's pI’8Y~
Come on.
God is great
Restricted Area
Do you mind if we switch seats?
I'd like to sit next to my parents.
Of course.
Before going through the checklist, we'll go through
the clearance points.
Got it
Special Presidential Police.
We're checking the passports.
I'll 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 Algiers?
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.
Alright
Get back!
We're God's soldiers!
We're huacking 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.
Go! if?
Remove the steps.
No. I don't know.
We just received the info...
Over 200 passengers. 4 or 5 hijackers. 4 men for sure.
- There may be a woman. - Who told you?
Balladufs 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.
Djamel 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 Algerians 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?
All 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'll 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 Ali Belhadj
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 Algiers, President Zéroual 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?
Hov/d it go with Faviel’?
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 9 oin 9 c r az Y
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 transall.
It just has to take off.
We all agree on that
The mastermind of the operation is Ali 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 rumored to be a double or triple agent
For whom?
Algeria, Russia and probably us.
What do you have in mind?
B"Yi"9 peace.
The GIA has had 3 years of civil war.
The organization 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.
Algiers runway, Air France 8969. Please remove the steps.
Algiers runway, Air France 8969 This is the pilot, do you copy?
Makhlouf.
Bring me the Vietnamese man.
Let's go.
Aren't you ashamed?
This miscreant is near Allah.
Carole,
come to the crisis unit
We want you to explain your idea.
It all goes back to him.
Ali Touchent, a 38 year-old high-class Algerian.
He studied History at the Sorbonne and worked at the GIA.
His biggest enemy is Algiers, 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'?
MS.
All my brothers are married.
Yahia has a son, Mustapha has three.
Even Salim...
I'm the only single one.
And that's not good.
I see you're not wearing a ring.
Yes?
My name is Carole Jeanton. I work for the Foreign Ministry.
I'm speaking in its name.
Can I ask with whom I'm speaking?
Are you Ali 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 Ali 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 4 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 Airbus
has been immobilized 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?
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 organization 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.
ls 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 could slit 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'll fight
Our sons will take our places.
We will hit you where and when we like.
I don't accept it but I'll 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 honor 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 I
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.
All 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
Alright, Yannick
You shouldn't be scared. Only fear God.
You'll go down and take the steps away.
You'll 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 your job?
Customs officer.
Customs officer'? Your wallet
Saéda Melki?
That's me.
What's this?
That's. . .
all my savings.
I'll return this when you come back
What's he doing?
Shoot!
Stop!
Give me that
Mustaphal
Enemy of God.
We are God's soldiers.
God is great!
You're all rotten!
You'll 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/ll kill us.
Do something...
I swear I'll 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'll last a year.
We are God's soldiers.
God entrusted us with this mission.
We'll 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 love you, Mom,
but I love God more than you.
We'll see each other in paradise.
Have you thought about your boy and about me?
You can? leave like this
Don? do this
Yahia.
The Algerian government
will spare your life. All 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'll 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 Allah.
Madam, get in the car.
Sit down.
We are God's soldiers.
We are God's soldiers!
God is great
That's enough. Listen carefully.
A Frenchman has been killed.
If the plane doesn't take off,
we'll 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‘! taken off, a French person would be killed.
The ultimatum expired and 8 minutes later the commando acted.
The Frenchman Yannick Beugnet
from the French embassy in Algiers
was then killed.
As a resulL 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 authorization for take off.
If we storm the plane, I'll go in first
We're not there yet
First, we'll negotiate as much as we can.
You're doing your job. 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.
All this for two anonymous men?
Why Paris?
This operation will be unfavorable.
We didn't chose the field
or the weapons.
There will be losses.
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 Algiers to fuel the plane
or we go to Marseille, refuel, and go to Paris.
We'll go to Marseille.
I'll tell them.
At 1:45 a.m. at the Algiers airporL
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'll be shot down.
Arrival in the zone in 30 minutes.
Marseille - Marignane Airport
Good evening. The Airbus will be here in an hour.
We'll need all your people to cooperate
so that we can set up.
We detoured all air traffic
to Nice and Montpellier.
Which runway is farthest from the control towel’?
Number 3, I think Number 3.
It'll land there. We'll set up our PC OPS in the nearest hangar.
No problem. We'll set it up.
Do you have the materials we requested?
Everything's in the hangar.
I'll take you there.
It's ready.
Set up the negotiation with the Préfei.
I'll get on your frequency.
This is Denis. Deployment of armed back-up on the runway.
The airplane is approaching.
It just 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 Préfet Guérin.
ls Yahia with you?
I don‘! 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 9 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. Solignac.
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 NanardL
‘Warrior’ is the one
who has a Kalashnikov AK4 7.
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 0k.
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? care. It's 9:05!
Make a gesture. Let someone go.
I'm only here to get fuel.
I told you 9 p.m. It's 9:05.
Do you want to know what I'll do?
I need more time. I can? give you what I don? have, I101 sorry.
How much time?
I don? know.
At least an hour.
Fine. I want a press conference.
Denis?
Yes.
Shit
Mommy...
Where are we going?
Come on, honey, let'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 Faviel’?
This is Carole 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. 2 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 Leila,
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.
Fin FY399-
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? 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'll 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
GIGNI
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, let'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'll go get him together.
Grenade!
There are Frenchmen in the cockpit
All 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 emphasize 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 GIGN.
The hostages that were killed
are in our thoughts,
especially Yannick BeugneL
a young French civil servant
who was killed yesterday.
Favier’s mandate ended in 1997.
He was called back in Sept. 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, Mom.
Where's Daddy?
Thierry P. survived. He retired in Poitiers.
Shot 8 times, he still has 2 bullets in his shoulder.
He was never made major.
Following the GIGN's assault
the 172 passengers were evacuated unharmed.
9 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 8 dead and 117 hurt.