57 Aboard Die as Egyptians Storm Hijacked Airliner : U.S. Advised of Assault, Offered Its Own Forces

The United States was informed in advance of Egyptian plans to assault the hijacked EgyptAir jetliner in Malta and offered to contribute U.S. forces if needed, State Department officials said Sunday.

Earlier, speaking on a television interview program, Secretary of State George P. Shultz called for a tough, no-quarter strategy for dealing with the hijacking and said the United States was “working very closely and cooperatively” with Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak to bring the incident to an end.

‘With Both Barrels’

“Terrorists deserve no quarter, terrorists should have no place to hide,” Shultz said on the NBC interview program “Meet the Press.” “The way to get after these people is with both barrels.”

A few hours later, State Department spokesman Daniel Lawler confirmed reports from Valletta, the Maltese capital, that Egyptian commandos, airlifted earlier to Malta’s Luqa Airport, had stormed the plane, possibly killing all the hijackers.

But Lawler said he could confirm no operational details of the commando assault or any reports of casualties. According to accounts from the scene, at least 57 passengers were killed.

“We had been in close contact with the Egyptians throughout the day, and we had offered appropriate assistance,” Lawler said.

The State Department issued a statement that said:

“The United States supports the difficult decision of the governments of Malta and Egypt to end the brutal terrorist hijacking of EgyptAir Flight 648. The terrorists commandeered the aircraft and then murdered and wounded innocent passengers, including Americans. We are advised that at the time of the rescue, the terrorists detonated explosives which killed and wounded additional passengers.

“We are saddened by the tragic loss of innocent life resulting from this act of terrorism and extend our deepest sympathy to all those who suffered through this ordeal.

“Terrorism, by its very nature, rejects the values civilized peoples hold dear. Those who direct and support these despicable acts must know that we remain determined that justice be done. We call on the international community of nations to cooperate in ending this scourge against humanity.”

Lawler, spokesman for the task force set up in the State Department to monitor the hijacking, would not confirm the names of the American passengers, which had been provided by Greek government sources in Athens.

During his interview earlier Sunday, Shultz refused to discuss any concrete action U.S. forces may have been taking to help resolve the hijacking of the Egypt-Air Boeing 737 airliner, seized during a flight from Athens to Cairo. The aircraft was forced to land at Luqa Airport, where several passengers, including three Americans, were shot by the hijackers before the Egyptian rescue operation began.

Asked whether U.S. cooperation extended to helping Egyptian commandos reportedly flown to the airport on two U.S.-made Egyptian air force C-130 transports, Shultz replied, “It’s none of your business at this point.”

‘All Appropriate Assistance’

Earlier, Lawler had issued a statement that seemed to suggest that U.S. forces would be readied for intervention if necessary: “We are prepared to offer all appropriate assistance to the governments of Egypt and Malta to bring the hijacking to an end and the hijackers to justice.”

On the CBS-TV interview program “Face the Nation,” White House Chief of Staff Donald T. Regan was asked if any movements by the U.S. 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean were under way. He replied: “No, nothing of that nature. At this time we’re allowing the government of Malta and the government of Egypt to handle this situation.”

Shultz also declined to speculate about any involvement in the hijacking on the part of Col. Moammar Kadafi, Libya’s leader, who in the past has supported and encouraged terrorism aimed at the West and at Egypt.

En Route From Libya

Shultz pointed out, however, that about 26 transit passengers en route from the Libyan capital of Tripoli to Cairo joined the flight in Athens after flying there from Tripoli, because there are no direct flights between Libya and Egypt, nations whose relations have long been tense.

He also confirmed that the hijackers had asked the Libyan ambassador to Malta to board the plane to confer with them.

“Those are two pieces of information, but I don’t have a basis for drawing a conclusion from that,” Shultz said. “I don’t want to make any statement of implication without knowing what I’m talking about.”

But Egyptian authorities have closed the roads leading to the Libyan border and, according to reports from Cairo, have declared a state of emergency in the border region.

The assumption in Washington is that the terrorists were most likely Egyptians opposed to (President) Mubarak’s pro-Western policies, but officials stressed that nothing was certain. “I don’t have any idea of who these people are and what connections they may have,” Shultz said.