She was hi-jacked
She and her passengers and crew were hi-jacked off Egypt, as she was sailing from Alexandria to Port Said, by four members of the Palestine Liberation Front demanding the release of 50 Palestinians from Israeli prisons. In the course of negotiations the hijackers killed an American passenger. The hijackers then agreed to leave in exchange for safe conduct and were flown towards Tunisia aboard an Egyptian commercial airliner. However, US fighter aircraft intercepted their plane and directed it to land in Sicily in an effort to extradite the hijackers, where (to US annoyance) they were tried and convicted in Italian courts. The Achille Lauro was reflagged in 1989 and operated until 1994 when she caught fire and sank. In the sinking, the passengers and crew were rescued and there was no accident with oil and diesel..
