Attacker Shoots Pilot After Plane Lands at Bombay

An attacker shot and wounded the captain of an Italian jetliner today after the plane landed at Bombay’s airport and tossed two grenades at pursuers before he was captured, authorities said.

The assailant fired four shots from an automatic pistol at Vittorino Sanataniello, who had landed the Alitalia airliner a few minutes earlier after a flight from Australia. Police said Sanataniello and 12 other crew members were climbing onto an airport bus bound for a city hotel when they were attacked.

Police sources said the attacker, identified as Abbas Mohammed Ali Shahadi, is believed to be a member of the Abu Nidal Palestinian terrorist group. They said he apparently had intended to attack a French airline crew. An Air France flight was due to land at Bombay about 40 minutes after the Alitalia plane set down.