Naval postgraduate school monterey, california thesis

C. 
EGYPT AIR FLIGHT 648 AT MALTA: EGYPTIAN SPECIAL FORCES 
(FORCE 777, 1978) 
1. 
Background and Case Study 
The increasing threat within the country of Egypt and from Libyan-backed 
Middle Eastern terrorist groups prompted Egypt to create its own counterterrorist unit.
Egyptian intelligence was receiving indicators from groups such as the Abu Nidal Faction 
and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine vowing to take violent action against 
Egyptian targets and people (specwarnet.net/world/ct.htm on 20 January 2004). In 1977, 
a small volunteer group was formed out of the ranks of the Egyptian Army’s As-Saiqa 
special forces; Egypt's predecessor to Force 777 was created (Harclerode, 2001, p. 297). 
Initially, the unit was staffed by three officers, four NCOs, and forty operators. Their 
first targets were against terrorist training camps along the Libyan border. 
It was not long before the As-Saiqa saw its first hostage rescue crisis. On 18 
February 1978, two members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) 
shot dead an Egyptian news editor, Yusuf Sebai. They were protesting a recent peace 
mission to Jerusalem by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat (p. 297). After a short siege 
inside a hotel, the terrorists demanded a plane to fly them to Cyprus, together with 15 
hostages. Cypriot authorities conceded; after flying around in a DC-8 with nowhere to 
land, the aircraft returned to Cyprus with the 2 terrorists and 15 hostages. Cypriot 
authorities quickly surrounded the aircraft together with their national guard. As-Saiqa 
was dispatched to assault the DC-8 and flown to Cyprus. With little experience and short 
on time, As-Saiqa developed an emergency-deliberate plan of action during the one hour 
flight; they were completely unprepared for the operation. To add to the confusion, the 
Egyptian Ministry of Defense neglected to inform the Cyprus authorities of As-Saiqa’s 
imminent arrival. When their aircraft landed, the entire assault force, dressed in civilian 
clothes, began their assault towards the DC-8 (p. 298). The Cypriot authorities assumed 
that As-Saiqa were reinforcements for the PFLP, and engaged them in an 80-minute 
firefight. Fifteen As-Saiqa died because of the mishap.
In 1978, Force 777 was created out of the ranks of the now infamous As-Saiqa 
counterterrorist unit. On 23 November, four members of the Egyptian Liberation 
Organization hijacked an Egyptair Boeing 737, flying from Athens to Cairo (p. 298).

---

163 
Palestine Radicals, angered over Egypt's failure to protect the fleeing Achille Lauro 
terrorists, seized Egyptair flight 648 
(
ironically, the same airplane that had been used to 
transport the Achille Lauro terrorists out of Egypt
)
and flew it to Luga International 
Airport in Malta. This time, Egypt made sure that the foreign government knew Force 
777 was coming (specwarnet.net/world/ct.htm on 20 January 2004).
By the time Force 777 had arrived at Luga, five hostages had been shot, two 
Israelis and three Americans, and their bodies thrown on the tarmac. One of the Israelis 
died, but the others survived (Harclerode, 2001, p. 299). During the short period of 
negotiations with the Maltese authorities, Force 777 failed to perform any surveillance of 
the ground situation or to debrief any of the released hostages. They had no idea of the 
location of the terrorists, their weapons, or the terrorists’ physical characteristics. Force 
777 also failed to look at aircraft blueprints or the operational condition of the aircraft.
When negotiations failed, the commander of Force 777 immediately began deploying his 
snipers and moving his assault force element towards the aircraft. Without stun grenades 
or other essential equipment for CQB, a six-man element took position under the aircraft, 
while others climbed onto the wings (p. 299). In order to stun the terrorists and gain time 
for operators to enter through the breach, the explosive charge used was doubled. The 
charge was so powerful that it destroyed six rows of seats killing approximately twenty 
passengers. Then members from the wing team entered though the doors and for some 
unknown reason began throwing smoke-grenades and firing indiscriminately. Snipers 
positioned on top of rescue vehicles began firing at fleeing civilians. The terrorists, 
already warned by the noises under the aircraft prior to the explosion, threw grenades 
down in the breach hole and fired their weapons at the assaulters. During the firefight, 
the rear of the aircraft caught fire suffocating many of the hostages. In all, the botched 
operation killed 57 hostages. Three of the terrorists were killed, but the fourth survived 
(p. 300).