Just after takeoff, the flight was hijacked by two Palestinians from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – External Operations (PFLP-EO), and by two Germans, Wilfried Böse and Brigitte Kuhlmann, from the German Revolutionary Cells.
Xusto despois da engalaxe, o avión foi secuestrado por dous palestinos pertencentes á Fronte Popular para a Liberación de Palestina - Operacións Externas (PFLP-EO), e dous alemáns,Wilfried Böse e Brigitte Kuhlmann, do grupo terrorista alemán Células Revolucionarias.