| 1988 Ordzhonikidze bus hijacking | |
|---|---|
 The aircraft involved in the incident in 1994 | |
| Location | Ordzhonikidze, Soviet Union (Now Vladikavkaz, Russia) |
| Date | 1–2 December 1988 |
| Target | LAZ-687 bus with schoolchildren |
Attack type | Hijacking, hostage taking |
| Deaths | None |
| Perpetrators |
|
On 1 December 1988, a LAZ-687 bus carrying around thirty pupils and one teacher[1] from school 42 in Ordzhonikidze, Soviet Union (now Vladikavkaz in Russia) was hijacked by five armed criminals, led by Pavel Yakshiyants.
The local authorities conceded to the hijackers' demands and provided an Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft to fly the hijackers to Israel. Upon landing at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport however, the hijackers surrendered to local troops and police without resistance. They were extradited to the Soviet Union and sentenced to prison terms, although at that time Israel and the Soviet Union had no extradition treaty as relations were still severed. All hostages were released. The Defense Minister of Israel at the time, Yitzhak Rabin, criticized Soviet authorities for providing the hijackers with an aircraft and flying them to Israel in exchange for the release of the hostages.[2]
- ^ Frankel, Glenn (3 December 1988). "SOVIET HIJACKERS GIVE UP QUIETLY IN ISRAEL". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
- ^ "5 Hijack Soviet School Bus, Get Plane, Land in Israel : Bandits Paid Ransom of $3.3 Million". Los Angeles Times. 2 December 1988. Retrieved 10 July 2014.