Emirates Airways Flight 777

Flight 777 of Emirates Airways was a scheduled flight going from Dubai to Paris, with a stopover at Istanbul (FW). On November 11, 1986 a Boeing 747 flying this route blew up in midair.

Background
The United Emirates began to see a rise in terrorism in the 1980s. Defeat in the Second Emirates-Yemen War and an official Yemeni recognition of Emirati gains in the war (early 1986) lead many terrorist cells to retaliate.

In March 1986 planning began on a plot to explode bombs throughout the united Emirates and in several passenger planes.

The attack
On November 11, 1986 a Boeing 747 belonging to Emirates Air was preparing to take off to Paris, France (now the European Union). Two men checked in their bags, which were placed in the plane's cargo hold. They ended up not boarding and instead left the airport. 36 minutes after taking off (10:13 AM) a bomb exploded near the Doha port, resulting in 18 injured and 3 dead. The plane landed in Istanbul, and after refueling it took off. Soon after there were reports of a second bomb on a Gulf Air plane which exploded on the ground in Prague but failed to detonate correctly. Near Mulhouse (France), at 1:56 PM the bombs on flight 777 detonated. The bags, which had been placed on the left side, resulted in the wing coming off. The plane began to spin and it crached into a field and burst into flames. Local police arrived and could not find any survivors.

Aftermath
Soon Emirates officials began an investigation. Together with Europan and US help they were able to determine who the perpetrators of the November 11 crimes were. Many of the criminals went into deep hiding, but soon AMTACT agents were on their tails.