1. N7 - 1 Danube Hijacking

2. N7 - 2 Danube Hijacking 2100 -- On 18 June 2000, a Swiss luxury ship plying the Danube with 397 passengers and a crew of 110 is overtaken by terrorists as it departs Bratislava en route to Budapest. The armed assailants wound two crewmembers as they board the ship by force. 2120 -- The ship’s captain radios shore that the ship is in the hands of a group named the “Light of God.” 2130 -- The ship continues to sail toward Budapest.

3. N7 - 3 Danube Hijacking (Cont) 2135 – The terrorist leader speaks in broken English to authorities in Bratislava, demanding (1) the release of two terrorists “of his group” -- one being held in Budapest and the other in Bucharest -- who are awaiting extradition to the U.S. for alleged complicity in an attack on an American installation in Africa; (2) $ 5 million in damages paid directly from the U.S. government; (3) a senior Hungarian minister as a “hostage of good will”; (4) free passage of the ship to the Black Sea; (5) air transport from Romania to Bulgaria to an unnamed safe haven with one Bulgarian and one Romanian official joining as hostages.

4. N7 - 4 Danube Hijacking (Cont) 2230 – The shipping company advises that the passengers comprise 51 Swiss, 7 French, 15 Austrians, 70 Germans, and small numbers of various other nationalities. A group of 12 IMF and World Bank officers who have just completed a conference in Vienna is also onboard. 2245 – A check with Romanian, Hungarian, and U.S. officials confirms the existence of detainees who are reportedly followers of Bin Laden. The U.S. offers assistance in the matter, maintaining that under no circumstance should the imprisoned terrorists be released.

5. N7 - 5 Danube Hijacking (Cont) 0430 – Patrol boats follow the liner at a discreet distance as it approaches Budapest. At least five of the passengers are in touch with the outside world through cell phones. One has called CNN and a daily German newspaper. The terrorists have learned of the IMF/World Bank delegation and have isolated it with full controls. They begin herding all other passengers into their rooms and threaten to throw one dozen passengers overboard unless they receive a “good faith” answer to their demands and a Hungarian minister in hand by 6 a.m.

6. N7 - 6 Danube Hijacking (Cont) The Hungarian rapid reaction force prepares for an assault on the ship as it passes under the chain bridge in Budapest, and the team leader has requested the green light to proceed at his discretion. He adds that he has some insight on events aboard the ship from two “sources” with cell phones.