French Special Forces Storm a Kidnapped Air France Flight 🇫🇷 Air Disasters | Smithsonian

December 24, 1994: Terrorists aboard Air France flight 8969 forced it to divert to Marseille Provence Airport, where they proceeded to make demands and then fire at the air traffic control tower. French authorities felt they had no choice but to call in a special unit to force their way onto the plane.
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[@MN-vz8qm]

One of the gign operatives stormed the cockpit in which 4 terrorists were entrenched, with his personnal revolver at hand, and took down 3 of the 4 terrorists by himself, while suffering 7 bullets wounds, and I kid you not, a grenade. He obviously was in a bad shape after that, but got a legendary status.

[@JohnWick-vb9pc]

Your mother stormed my cockpit and it was awesome 😂

[@furiacabocla2furiacabocla589]

Yes the bravest man in this time. Very skilled, motivated and trained. MANURHIN REVOLVER became a Legend..

[@princeofesseling5699]

this is not true… the cockpit was shot up with snipers and then stormed… if u look for videos u will see a pilot escaping the cockpit and snipers taking out the terrorists

[@Maarij_Nomani_]

And they say, French are cowards.

[@BluePlayzHD]

His revolver disallowed him to give more shots :/

[@Steve-gc5nt]

Kidnapped? The word you are looking for is hijacked.

[@davidrobertson5700]

Kidnapper says to pilot: Hi Jack Pilot replies: Oh hi Fred

[@user-uh6lm5wv6n]

George Carlins prophecy. Soon this type of situation will be referred to as "borrowed plane".

[@HellHunter00]

@@user-uh6lm5wv6n Kidnapped is no softer a word than hijacked. The title was probably just written by a non-native English speaker.

[@rinduberhalu9897]

terrorist : hi jack pilot replies: oh hi, what are you doing ? terrorist : kid napped on you pilot : whose kid ?

[@gamingwitheman3521]

Ya

[@thenegociater3387]

The training of the commandos allowed them to overcome unexpected obstacles and incredible odds. You really get to see the quality of training when things go wrong, and the team still makes it right. Excellent.

[@paolojoosten6353]

BS.

[@Heavenclone]

@@paolojoosten6353 Right so training and experience do not allow you to overcome unexpected obstacles. You clearly know nothing lol

[@paolojoosten6353]

@@Heavenclone The first young commando who pulled the door died.The others survived.4 enemies... . I respect these commando's , but i know it was a false flag... . I can't remember exactly who was involved. But a country wanten a reason to attack another country.. .

[@MN-vz8qm]

​@@paolojoosten6353 nonsense... stop the paranoia. These were algerian terrorists. And there was no war after that.

[@arquilus7954]

@@paolojoosten6353 In the history of GIGN, 3 operators died during mission (1997, 2007, 2023) Nevertheless this assault occurred in 1994 so none of operators died during this operation

[@urkraft1337]

Poor Co-Pilot. That drop hurts badly.

[@petep.2092]

He should have used the rope escape ladder that is provided for an escape through the window.

[@BronzeGamer11]

im sure the hijackers would allow him to do so

[@hannagg9365]

I thought the same thing… poor guy… but actually he’s lucky! He managed to survive. And I doubt he would be wasting time to get the climbing rope. He saw a chance for escape, and he took it! Good call!

[@littleraeofsunshine]

@@petep.2092 Kinda looks like he's trying to hold onto it but loses his grip. Guess in the moment he wasn't too particular.

[@UltimEVB]

@@petep.2092that would have been obvious and the terrorist would have escaped

[@fredericlepeltier3435]

What you see here was broadcast LIVE on TV, on every major FR network. That was wild for the time.

[@1yoan3]

Whereas now everything is so sterile and censored as to not shock or offend people. I hate the news nowadays.

[@flx0o0o0]

Impressive how you can see the glass of the cockpit shatter as they start shooting in the plane.

[@amanciocohen5965]

no i don't see that

[@Charlie2502]

C’est les tireurs d’élite

[@AK-ULTRA]

@@amanciocohen5965 Are you blind?

[@tudorDaDefender]

I cant believe those stairs didnt break due to the weight of those gigantic balls of the Special Forcers Operators..also that First officer..damn that fall was crazy..he literally hit his face..props to the pilots too.

[@nahoulastingless]

The stairs didn't break indeed because those gign guys had tiny barely visible balls made of cheese...As for the FO he obviously can't fly in calm winds therefore the free fall on his face... Kudos to the flight crew though, they must have crapped their pants with generous amounts of nutella

[@tudorDaDefender]

@@nahoulastingless how long have you been off meds?

[@Yoshi-wt4lg]

@@nahoulastingless bro got the tinniest balls saying this

[@nahoulastingless]

@@tudorDaDefender Since I discovered that you had no balls to start with, and that your nickname is tudor(la bitchesse)

[@Peroriperora]

@@nahoulastinglessall your siblings got their faces painted on the windows of the cockpit. 😅

[@thomasc6412]

The speed those commandos went into that aircraft!

[@dicostigan1449]

Very impressive rescue by the French!!

[@iloveaviation-burgerclub-a8145]

I am sceptical. The risk for passengers required too much luck. I'd maybe brought them nearby the plane with a refueling truck and delayed to dawn. But I was not there, am no officer nor socom. It is easy to claim afterwards.

[@solsolsolsol2356]

@@iloveaviation-burgerclub-a8145 i thought like you first , It was very risky indeed, But it is very difficult to say it was wrong to do this . We learned after the operation, terrorists wanted to blowup the plane ( with the passenger inside obviously) and started to recite prayer for the death. There is no "best way" to solve this kind of situation. Excuse my poor english 🙂

[@Deontjie]

Now these same terrorists just walks into France.

[@Demun1649]

@@iloveaviation-burgerclub-a8145 Of course you are sceptical, you are, as you say, not military, nor were you there, nor were you trained to the same level, nor were you a member of the very best unit in the world, and you don't even know who they were. A typical ignorant civilian.

[@Demun1649]

@@Deontjie Why distort the TRUTH? NO, they don't just walk in. Have you watched the annual Bastille Day parade down the Champ in Paris? Open your eyes, look at the ranks of the military on parade, and see just how many of the people, YOU despise, are in the ranks of the best military in the world. The terrorists who carried out the Paris attacks DROVE from Belgium. You have a very bad memory, or is it just prejudiced against anyone who is not white?

[@ludocattin2788]

The GIGN is become a world legend after this intervention.

[@mortalclown3812]

Rest in peace to the 9 they lost. Heroes all.

[@megarayquaza7185]

​@@mortalclown3812Niemand von der GIGN wurde getötet

[@rivierapalms6485]

Makes you feel humbled by that incredible bravery. Well done to the Special Forces 🇫🇷

[@zoozu2067]

Vive la France! from Australia.

[@aroxLeBg]

🇫🇷❤🇦🇺

[@MontgomeryMcIntosh]

Back when there was zero tolerance for terrorism...

[@Hades_Space_Engineer]

Funfact the tolerance for plane hijacking was much higher in the past pre 911 because the operatives always expected that the hijackers wanted to safe their own lives

[@gc12gladiator]

Incredible French special forces bravery

[@darrenangel461]

I've known GIGN Since the 1980s and trust me they are a bloody good unit, a source in the SAS said the GIGN are best in the world at the moment !.

[@brunol-p_g8800]

And the GIGN isn’t even Special forces, they are just the intervention group of the gendarmerie.

[@darrenangel461]

Are you f.....g serious GIGN are special forces cut the keyboard bullshit.

[@bf3andy]

they are special forces along with the commandos marines, CPA 10, 1er RPIMA, 13ème RDP, BRI and RAID units@@brunol-p_g8800

[@2052lt]

They have the RAID now.

[@pierredurand2141]

@@2052lt yes but the GIGN still exist

[@vcab6875]

World class operation that impressed the entire world

[@htos1av]

That was a great job by the French authorities.

[@josephsembower6659]

This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen

[@Deveroe]

03:12 feels like the GIGN operative fell in slow motion, compared to how the copilot fell just a couple of seconds before !

[@MikeKollin]

France has been making me very proud lately... the marches, fighting for your rights and your special forces!! God Bless you France!! From 🇱🇷🇱🇷🇱🇷

[@yessir889]

You are from Liberia?

[@ZakChlebowski]

Amazing how they managed to get full footbage of this event unfold, it helps us get a better understanding of what went on, it was like a movie came to life.

[@morganstud]

*To those who want to see a movie about this documentary, there is actually a French movie called « L’assaut ».*

[@uwemobil8847]

TYVM. At prime for example

[@chrisa3661]

My massiveballs o meter has exploded watching this. All of those men are legends now.

[@Eclipse-lw4vf]

honestly, it blows my mind that it took 9-11 for a lot of these rule changes, its WILD the fact that locked doors only openable from the inside by the pilot still wasnt a thing even after this event. I will say, its incredible what youll risk and put your body through when all u need to do is survive, youll risk abd break 3 or 4 bones sometimes, and adrenaline will make it so u dont feel that shit, or feel it enough u cant move, until your out of the danger

[@haselhofler]

There's no easy solution with door locking. If you have terrorists outside the cockpit the door must be locked from the inside. If you have a psychopath as pilot, you need the door to be openable from outside. See Germanwings 9525 crash

[@zenmashofficial]

@@haselhofler keypad locking? with crew knowing the passcode?

[@haselhofler]

@@zenmashofficial cool so the terrorist will kill stewardesses until one tells them the code.

[@zenmashofficial]

@@haselhofler Would you not speak in a demeaning tone? I simply stated a method which is used by airlines today. Why don't you take your time to read about it? You obviously had no trouble taking time out of your day to make someone seem stupid for a security method.

[@petep.2092]

@@zenmashofficial That wasn't a demeaning comment. It was simply pointing out the next step that will occur due to the scheme you mentioned. It seems you don't want to hear about the shortcomings of the scheme.

[@Apache410]

GIGN is too badass 🔥🥵🇫🇷

[@davidalejandromartinezpena677]

Quoi ont-ils fait ? Je suis pas français

[@germanfisch]

@@davidalejandromartinezpena677 They're the special forces of france

[@Apache410]

@@davidalejandromartinezpena677 (pardon mon français, Je suis Canadien mais je parle surtout anglais) Le GIGN est le Groupe d'intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale. Ce sont les forces spéciales antiterroristes de France.

[@ericgabeau8148]

​@@davidalejandromartinezpena677 GIGN is the gendarmerie 's spécial forces then Le Raid is the police special forces. Both are very pro

[@newyorkcity76]

09 of them injured

[@merle-wq9ir]

Good on France!!! From South Africa 🇿🇦

[@Francedominemondeans-nv2dz]

Merci mon ami Thanks my Friend

[@LSBPS7614]

When the aircraft reached Marseille, the National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN), a counter-terror unit of the French National Gendarmerie, stormed the plane and killed all four hijackers

[@maxcho2027]

Honneur et patrie

[@christiand8243]

I remember watching this live on TV as a child

[@rugueuxbysurson3118]

j'adore comme aucun francais ne sait plus écrire en francais

[@christiand8243]

@@rugueuxbysurson3118 Je vois pas vraiment le lien entre mon commentaire et votre réponse... Sinon, je suis pas français et le portugais est ma langue maternelle... Encore un français qui aurait dû tourner sa langue 7 fois dans sa bouche avant de parler 😂😜😂

[@jegortsukanov8990]

What about BEA investigators?

[@marcelov4721]

3:29 guy took a Counter Strike Headshot effect

[@victordelorientis8763]

It happened before Counter Strike.. The reality comes first.

[@dusepdude7311]

3:29 holly s*** 😨

[@JuanGarcia-dg7bi]

Look at the way they charged at the door, showed now fear to save lives!!

[@cliffcox7643]

WTF why did you cut it short

[@rashedaakter]

So scary

[@skilifavas4016]

French military/special forces is tough

[@brunol-p_g8800]

Although the Gendarmerie is attached to the military, they are just countryside police, and the GIGN is the intervention group.

[@stefanino7064]

These guys : BALLS OF STEAL !!!!!!

[@johnbruckner4681]

Lucky this time!

[@shinylatias8391]

Vive La France! 🇺🇸🤝🇫🇷

[@zaneleposh]

I didn't know this 😰

[@csgamer1904]

Dear god 18K views in one day wow 😯

[@kevinhardy8997]

This is literally the ending of Modern Warfare Call of Duty 4.

[@kugane9741]

crazy, i'm french, watching a english video about a french event dubbed in english

[@SacredSalmonFish]

bloody hell, no way lad it left me gobsmcked

[@GeneralmotorsMHM]

Vive La France

[@metternich05]

I believe the term 'hijack' would be more appropriate than 'kidnap' in the context of an airplane. Very awkward phrasing in title.

[@IronMan-if4ke]

France’s GIGN is the most successful anti terrorist specialized police force ever. They’ve been in act since the 1970’s, across the globe including Africa (GIGN rescued French school kids from an Islamic school bus kidnapping).

[@KwanFung]

3:30 was that a shotgun blast onto the GIGN solider?

[@chill1478]

If I remember correctly, that was a bullet from the terrorists hitting the GIGN officer's handgun magazine, blowing up its ammunitions.

[@GabbyHernandez-wu7uz]

How does that happen

[@richardturpin61]

For the the American who didn’t know. They were planning to smash into the Eiffel tower in dec 1998

[@newyorkcity76]

Not one know

[@asdA7dsAsgahgKba6]

what a stupid comment

[@prasannadahal5981]

why do all European feel the only place outside of Europe is America? Or it may be a general intuition to believe every violence has American Audience?

[@valentino-yv4vw]

@@prasannadahal5981 lots of Americans on youtube

[@Alltimeboxing]

Wrong it was 1994

[@dallasyap3064]

Well done GIGN!

[@newyorkcity76]

09 of them injured

[@vipecrx]

@@newyorkcity76 none killed, one serious and the other minor in a 20 minute shootout in a confined space in which only the terrorists died. Context is a bitch.

[@astygmatyzm9071]

@@newyorkcity76 None dead. And no civilian casualties in the raid too.

[@lpi3]

​@@astygmatyzm9071sounds like extremely nice work! Merci!

[@Arcteek]

French panache at its best!

[@guy-on-a-ch]

i love how when the co pilot fell out the SF operator stopped hanging and jumpe dof to.,

[@user-yp6fq7ge2b]

Wow

[@user-sj1qg1lg3l]

the hell hijacked

[@user-sj1qg1lg3l]

????

[@paul-ie6wi]

What was the explosion at the end that sent some men down the stairs? Who were they?

[@soralaraison]

Gign just did one mistake,they were training on empty airbus so when they used the jetway on D day they could not open the door because the airbus was in lower position than empty plane.

[@lifechann]

dudes be kidnapping airplanes these days

[@monicajewinsky]

3:29 "GIGN commando Philippe Bardelli was leading a column up the front right stairs, as that team was tasked with throwing stun grenades in the cockpit, when a 7.62 × 39 mm bullet from an AK-47 hit his drawn pistol and detonated the cartridges; Bardelli later remarked that his pistol thereby saved his life, since such AK-47 rounds were able to penetrate the GIGN's helmet visors." Source: Wikipedia

[@azurman3]

These are not special forces but the GIGN (Groupe d’Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale), an elite counter-terrorism/hostage rescue/critical site protection/counter-organized crime unit of the French Gendarmerie. In terms of status they can be ~ compared to the German GSG9 for example, though the gendarmes have a military status and not police

[@K.Spade7902]

A man fell on his face from high up and just got back up like nothing happened! That's one hard headed dude!

[@monsieurmichelg5305]

His life was on the line in that moment. U would be amazed of what adrenaline will enable one to do when ones life is on the line. That guy could of jumped from even higher and because his life was on the line, I would of bet u ten bucks he would of survived the fall. lol The human body is capable of both terrible and amazing things.

[@petep.2092]

If he wasn't so hard headed he might have remembered that there is a rope ladder provided for exiting through the window. I doubt any terrorist would have noticed him climbing out or would have cared… if he turned his head to look at the pilots he risked his head being blown off by the snipers.

[@bassyey]

Probably a broken ankle. If he had actually had something broken, he wouldn't feel it for maybe 5-7 minutes. His brain put him in survival mode, nothing else matters. He will feel the pain later.

[@rdsieben]

Extracts of Mayday's The Killing Machine.

[@Chrishagen]

Air Chance

[@StephenLuke]

RIP To the three passengers who were murdered by the hijackers of Air France Flight 8969 RIH To the four hijackers of Air France Flight 8969

[@InfiltrateIndustries]

Hows the GIGN who took a hit on the stairs?

[@clyde_1]

@@diamoneus It was not a grenade, the bullet hit his gun causing the cartridges to explode

[@duartesimoes508]

The aircraft ended up discarded. There were simply too many holes on her for a safe and economical repair... 🙁

[@jarrodyuki7081]

ugh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@sebastianforbes1]

was there anyone shooting who didn't intend to kill ?.. or was it only the terrorists ?

[@vipecrx]

google. There's a wikipedia entrance too

[@DUMMSWAG]

These mfs are built different falling from that high

[@danmcclaren5436]

Almost everything that is improved over time, it rarely because of good preventative measures. Its always because there's enough previous data to justify a solution. You see it all the time with traffic lights in deadly intersections, they won't do anything until the death count becomes too high to ignore.

[@vasiovasio]

Yes, like a - Everything bad is for Good! 😊

[@13rdp]

1:45 Who chose an actor who can't handle a MP5 correctly?

[@carlpearson6734]

We never hear the end of the amazing sas embassy siege but I think this is unbelievable not sure two different groups of sf going towards each other firing on a plane is ideal but I’m sure they knew what they were doing

[@qtdcanada]

@@hornpiper421 How? Please tell us!

[@francescopaolociminale5258]

@@qtdcanada let him live.

[@maxbooth8611]

​@VIPICCB8 we are the America of Europe that's for sure - in the worst ways possible

[@walkie1985]

@@qtdcanada as a Royal Marine I will say this. Anyone from the elite forces pays an incredible respect to other countries elite forces. No one within that sphere would make a comment like that. Would the SAS do better? Who knows, who cares. They weren’t there. The French GIGN are an elite unit that has the respect of all forces around the world.

[@dougaltolan3017]

​@@qtdcanada they'd have had flags and bands and corgis

[@36WEa-009A]

That was Hijackers Or what ?

[@ethandeeple8643]

That was when the government had balls.

[@theduplicator3270]

The first mistake the kidnappers made was landing in France. Second was not surrendering as soon as they landed.

[@Niagarafalls2000]

Where did it happen?

[@ecamstatus]

In Marseille

[@PTFSplane_AVIATION324]

Flight 8969

[@ClaudeMagicbox]

And this is when the world discovered the existence of the GIGN.

[@misterwhite37]

Many fps have a map or plane mission (CoD, rainbow 6..) but the truth is that these missions are from that actual event.. all the hostages were saved despite a fierce gunfight and the gign became an example in terms of brutal but clean and effective intervention (nothing to do with the Russian intervention forces or for example "spetsnaz" mystified but which in reality best to kill their own citizens hostages in school and theater...)

[@80_aychdee]

The Fortnite ar noise at 0:13 💀💀

[@michaelcouzigou8646]

GIGN and GSG-9 participated to the final qualification of Delta force in 1979

[@tommesserklinger1858]

Season / episode?

[@gabingrandmougin862]

The images filmed from the outside are the real images of the operation and the images filmed from the inside are from the film The Assault

[@kevindunlap5525]

The US just blows up the entire plane to get the guy who carried a Bic onboard.

[@petep.2092]

No, they make you take your shoes off to avoid that, but if he manages to get a terrorizing device on board, the passengers rush him and call it a sack. It's happened a few times. Once they even did it on a French train.

[@geertrebreps191]

Weihnachten 1994! Sozusagen kurz nach den punischen Kriegen. Und das wärmt man heute wieder auf? Christmas 1994! So to say shortly after the Punic wars. And you warm that up again today?

[@chadgibbs3341]

best place to be during this shoot out is in the bathroom

[@zakariaryanmechkak3761]

i was so confused on who was the bad guys lmao

[@hereisyourmusic30]

0:50 That's Barack Obama 😆

[@csgamer1904]

1min 37 views lol 😂

[@darrenporter1850]

Where they all allowed to stay in France and given passports and money?

[@saidtazroute-qh3fv]

Un bon Film 😊💊🍷🥃🦓🛸👃

[@Ehan_Shabi]

Plane number 8969 ayo thats sus

[@combatwombat71]

No messing there by the French - get in there and sort it out. Meanwhile in Britain we would be wondering if anyone would be offended, and working out what pronouns to refer to the hijackers as before we pander to any of their further demands, before apologising.

[@Nttmf]

😂😂 that seems about right. They’d probably throw in some free British airways tickets so they can visit Fiji and Bali.

[@vipecrx]

This happened over two days.

[@paolojoosten6353]

False flag attack.

[@Bruce-1956]

Kidnapped? Can you kidnap a plane? I know you can hijack a plane and you can kidnap people !!

[@lpi3]

In France one can kidnapp plane and hijack people. Vive la France!

[@danhrs]

Algerian Government didnt do anything😂

[@ATB_AdventureTravelBalochistan]

Lol @kidnapped plane

[@anthonymiller7992]

I should have looked at the length of the video, I wouldn't of wasted my time watching a preview of an actual story

[@vipecrx]

plenty of videos about this. Includibng a movie called "l'assault"

[@dmr8914]

The men boarding without thinking of their own safety and the co-pilot jumping so far to get out!!! Horrendous!. How many women have ever done this and yet women still tell men they are useless.

[@13rdp]

If the stairs are too high that s for a reason, the levels have been correctly set by the operators before assault, but an officer "rectified" them based on a technical documentation and against the advice of the operators. There were then too high and close to completely fail the mission. The same operator who was right, corrected by driving back the truck to allow th door opening.

[@h.r.hufnstuf4171]

how do you kidnap a plane? It wont fit in the average van

[@moreedcola6837]

Solution: White aircraft carrier with ‘FREE JET FUEL’ painted on the side

[@sandserpenthiss]

exactly

[@dad_jokes_4ever226]

We're gonna need a bigger van ....

[@MSWSB]

First, you need a ratty sofa and fake cast so you can convince the plane to help you load it into the van. And, yes that’s going to be a big van.

[@TheGreenReaper]

Bigger plane attaching to it from above and cutting the control surfaces off.

[@silo9596]

the movie was good

[@wako_tako1115]

Name?