Italian GIS (Gruppo di Intervento Speciale) - Achille Lauro Hijacking, 1985

"Palestinian terrorists hijacked a cruise ship and murdered a wheelchair-bound American. GIS hunted them across international waters."

STORY: October 1985. Palestinian terrorists hijacked the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro with 400 passengers. They murdered Leon Klinghoffer, a wheelchair-bound American, and threw his body overboard. Italy's GIS prepared to storm the ship at sea, a notoriously difficult operation. As assault teams positioned on support vessels, Egyptian President Mubarak negotiated the terrorists' surrender. The hijackers were flown to Egypt. But US F-14 fighters intercepted the Egyptian airliner, forcing it to land at an Italian NATO base. GIS operators surrounded the plane on the runway, creating a standoff between American and Italian forces. Eventually, GIS arrested the terrorists, though political pressure forced Italy to release some. GIS's professionalism during this international incident—preventing violence between allies while securing the terrorists—demonstrated that special forces excellence includes knowing when not to shoot.