An Egyptian plane carrying the hijackers of an Italian cruise ship was intercepted by American Navy jets as it flew toward Tunisia Thursday night and was forced to land in Italy, the White House announced. A spokesman said the four terrorists had been taken into custody by Italian authorities.
In a late evening news conference, Larry Speakes, the White House spokesman, said President Reagan had ordered the dramatic military action after learning that Egypt had turned down repeated American pleas to prosecute the four gunmen and was flying them to freedom. The hijackers are believed to have killed an elderly American tourist aboard the cruise ship.
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