LINDEN SOLES, CNN ANCHOR: French commandos today stormed a hijacked jetliner and rescued all of the 170 or so passengers onboard.</s>ROB REYNOLDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: With a flash of explosives and a rattle of gunfire, the hijacking of Air France Flight 8969 came to a violent end. Hurling stun grenades, a crack French police strike team swarmed into the aircraft. There was a prolonged exchange of gunfire between the hijackers and police. One of the cabin crew leaped from the cockpit. Injured in the fall, he struggled to get away. Police raced around the tarmac with guns drawn. They deployed emergency evacuation slides and hustled the passengers out of the aircraft. They hijackers were members of the Armed Islamic Group, an extremely radical Muslim revolutionary organization fighting to overthrow the military-backed regime in Algeria. In a statement of responsibility, the group demanded an end to French support for the Algerian government. The relatively bloodless finish to the drama was a relief to the French government and the public. But many here wonder how long it may be before Algerian terrorists strike at France again.
CNN 20: Marseilles Hijacking Ends, December 26, 1994