Brigitte Kuhlmann

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Brigitte Kuhlmann
Born 1947
Died July 4, 1976(1976-07-04)
Entebbe, Uganda
Organization Revolutionary Cells (RZ)

Brigitte Kuhlmann (1947–1976) was a founding member of the West German left-wing militant group Revolutionäre Zellen (RZ, or Revolutionary Cells in English; frequently considered a terrorist group).[1][2][3] She was killed by the Israel Defense Forces in Entebbe, Uganda, during Operation Entebbe.

Early life

Kuhlmann was born in 1947[4] and studied pedagogy in Hannover.[5] She wrote poetry and cared for handicapped patients, living with but never marrying Wilfried Böse and later Gerd Schnepel.[1]

Frankfurt underground

Kuhlmann and Böse eventually disappeared into the Frankfurt underground,[2] socialising in left-wing circles where they were recruited into the Baader-Meinhof Gang[6] and were founding members of Revolutionary Cells.[7]

Air France 139 hijacking

On June 27, 1976, using a South American passport Kuhlmann originally boarded a flight in Bahrain along with Böse, Fayez Abdul-Rahim Jaber, and Jayel Naji al-Arjam en route to Athens, Greece to connect with an Air France flight. Baggage handlers at the airport in Bahrain ensured their firearms and grenades were smuggled onto the aircraft undetected in their carry on luggage.[3]

In Athens they transferred to the Air France aircraft, an Airbus A300 which took off for Paris as Flight 139 shortly after midday. Within minutes Kuhlmann and her accomplices hijacked the aircraft.[6] Kuhlmann took control of the first class cabin and pistol-whipped noncompliant passengers. The airliner was re-routed to Libya under the call sign "Haifa One". After landing at Benina International Airport, where some passengers were released, the hijacked A300 took off again, headed south into Central Africa. During the five-hour flight, Kuhlmann verbally abused passengers, some Israeli, with anti-semitic criticism.[3]

The aircraft landed at Entebbe, Uganda where Kuhlmann and her team were met by associates in the country, including Anton Degas Bouvier, Abdel al-Latif, and Abu Ali. During the week-long standoff Kuhlmann and her associates made demands of Israel, including the release of Palestinian political prisoners, as well as a ransom from France.[6] They also demanded the release of their allies Werner Hoppe, Jan-Carl Raspe, Ingrid Schubert, Ralf Reinders, Fritz Teufel, and Inge Viett.[7] Jews were separated from non-Jews and the threat of execution was made if the demands weren't met.[6]

Operation Entebbe

Kuhlmann, along with her comrade Wilfred and the other hijackers, was killed in Operation Entebbe, an Israeli commando raid to free the remaining hostages.[6] Yonatan Netanyahu, the brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was the only Israeli commando killed during the operation.[3]

In popular culture

  • Kuhlmann is played by Austrian actress Sybil Danning in the film Mivtsa Yonatan (1977; literally Operation Johnathan, called Operation Thunderbolt in English-speaking markets). In the movie, her name is Halima.
  • Kuhlmann is portrayed by Katharina Schüttler in Carlos (2010).

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Brothers in blood: the international terrorist network", Ovid Demaris. Scribner, 1977. ISBN 0-684-15192-8, ISBN 978-0-684-15192-2. p. 39
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "The Struggle against terrorism, Volume 49, Issue 3", William P. Lineberry. H. W. Wilson, 1977. ISBN 0-8242-0605-3, ISBN 978-0-8242-0605-5. p. 39
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Entebbe: The Most Daring Raid of Israel's Special Forces", Simon Dunstan. The Rosen Publishing Group, 2011. ISBN 1-4488-1868-0, ISBN 978-1-4488-1868-6. p. 10-16
  4. ↑ "Castles Made of Sand: A Century of Anglo-American Espionage and Intervention in the Middle East", André Gerolymatos. Macmillan, 2010. ISBN 0-312-35569-6, ISBN 978-0-312-35569-2.
  5. ↑ "Der Spiegel, Volume 30, Issues 1-9", R. Augstein, 1976. Accessed March 3, 2011
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 "Operation Thunderbolt - Raid on Entebbe", H2G2. BBC. Accessed March 3, 2011
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "The Red Army Faction: a documentary history. Projectiles for the people", J. Smith, André Moncourt, Bill Dunne. PM Press, 2009. ISBN 1-60486-029-4, ISBN 978-1-60486-029-0. p. 439-440
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