Memorial marks 50th anniversary of Switzerland’s worst terror attack
Some 300 people from Switzerland, Israel, Canada and Germany gathered in northern Switzerland to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a plane bomb attack that claimed 47 lives.
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The participants, including Ruedi Berlinger, co-organiser of the memorial event and son of the flight captain killed in the crash, laid wreaths and burned 47 candles.
On February 21, 1970, Switzerland was shaken when Swissair 330 bound for Tel Aviv crashed shortly after take-off from Zurich, killing everyone on board: 38 passengers and nine crew. No one has ever appeared in court for the bombing, the worst terrorist attack in Swiss history.
“We continue to fight for justice and against forgetting,” said Arthur Schneider, a local politician at Würenlingen, where the plane crashed near the German border. Schneider said that 50 years ago there had been no care assistance for the relatives of the victims, who he called the “heroes of Würenlingen”.
Jacob Keidar, Israel’s ambassador to Bern, said that each of the 47 victims are still remembered – 15 of whom were Israeli. He added that he hoped new information might shed more light on the atrocity.
Early suspicion for the bomb attack fell on the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). Initial investigations into the bombing were closed in 1985, re-opened ten years later and finally discontinued in 2000.
In 2018 the Swiss federal prosecutor turned down a request to re-examine the facts behind the case.
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‘Goodbye everybody’: the Swissair 330 disaster
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On February 21, 1970, Swissair 330 bound for Tel Aviv crashed shortly after take-off from Zurich, killing all 47 people on board.
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‘Goodbye everybody’: the Swissair 330 disaster
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On February 21, 1970, Swissair 330 bound for Tel Aviv crashed shortly after take-off from Zurich, killing all 47 people on board.
Bid to re-open terrorist plane bombing case declined
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Earlier investigations had concluded that a Palestinian terrorist group was behind the attack, but no individuals were ever brought to justice. The case was officially closed in 2000. But a private citizen asked for the probe to be re-opened after FBI documents found their way into the media, pointing the finger at two unknown people…
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In a syndicated interview with the Tages-Anzeiger and Der Bund newspapers, Blankart who served as personal aide to Foreign Minister Pierre Graber at the time, called the charges a “fantasy”. “It cannot be that there was no written evidence for something so important,” he said. “And even if there were no records I would have…
Unanswered questions remain in 1970 Swissair crash
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On February 21, 1970, a cold and wet Saturday, Switzerland was shaken when Swissair 330 bound for Tel Aviv crashed shortly after take-off from Zurich, killing everyone on board: 38 passengers and nine crew. “330 is going down,” co-pilot Armand Etienne told the control tower in German. “Goodbye everybody,” he added in English. These final…
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.