The World - News from Feb. 28, 1985

Two Syrians being deported from West Germany hijacked a Lufthansa airliner on a flight from Frankfurt to Damascus and forced it to land in Vienna. They surrendered five hours later after freeing all 41 passengers and crew. Authorities said the hijackers, who were not identified, were armed with broken bottles and table knives when they commandeered the Boeing 727 in what they said was a bid to seek political asylum in Austria. A West German police spokesman did not specify the reasons for their deportation but said the two had been arrested in West Berlin and did not have “spotless records.”