Leon Klinghoffer, a 69-year-old retired American businessman, became an unwitting symbol of the brutality of terrorism during the 1985 hijacking of the Achille Lauro cruise ship. Confined to a wheelchair after suffering two strokes, Klinghoffer was on a Mediterranean cruise with his wife, Marilyn, to celebrate their 36th wedding anniversary. What began as a celebratory trip turned into a nightmare when four members of the Palestinian Liberation Front
(PLF) seized the ship. His murder, and the callous disposal of his body, shocked the world and brought a stark human face to the abstract concept of political violence.
A Life Interrupted: The Cruise and the Hijacking
Born in 1916, Leon Klinghoffer had a career marked by innovation. After an honorable discharge from the Army in January 1944, he and his brother Albert took over a store and began inventing appliances. They later founded the Roto-Broil Corporation of America, known for their Roto-Broil Rotisserie Oven, a common kitchen appliance in the 1950s. By 1985, Klinghoffer was retired and, due to paralysis on his right side from two strokes, relied on a wheelchair, though he could occasionally walk with a cane. The Achille Lauro was specifically chosen for its wheelchair accessibility, a detail that would tragically play a role in his fate.
On October 7, 1985, as the Achille Lauro sailed from Alexandria to Port Said, Egypt, four PLF hijackers took control. They demanded the release of 50 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, including Samir Kuntar, responsible for a 1979 terrorist attack. The hijackers threatened to begin executing hostages if their demands were not met. As the 3:00 p.m. deadline approached, the terrorists began to select a victim by shuffling the passports of U.S., British, and Austrian hostages. Leon Klinghoffer was chosen to be killed first.
The Brutal Act and Its Immediate Aftermath
Several reasons have been suggested for why Klinghoffer was singled out. Earlier in the hijacking, he had reportedly antagonized some hijackers by refusing to be silent when they took his watch and cigarettes, complaining in his slurred speech. Additionally, his identity as a Jewish American, combined with his disability, made him a target. One hijacker, Youssef Majed al-Molqi, later stated his rationale: "I and Bassm [al-Ashker] agreed that the first hostage to be killed had to be an American. I chose Klinghoffer, an invalid, so that they would know that we had no pity for anyone, just as the Americans, arming Israel, do not take into consideration that Israel kills women and children of our people."
Molqi ordered a Portuguese waiter, Manuel de Souza, to push Klinghoffer onto the open deck at the stern of the ship. After ordering Souza back inside, Molqi shot Klinghoffer once in the head and again in the chest, killing him instantly. He then forced Souza and an Italian hairdresser, Ferruccio Alberti, at gunpoint, to throw Klinghoffer's body and his wheelchair into the sea. Marilyn Klinghoffer and other hostages heard the shots and splashes. When Marilyn inquired about her husband, she was told he had been moved to the infirmary due to illness. She remained hopeful, only learning the horrific truth after the hijackers had left the ship at Port Said. Molqi, with blood-splattered clothing, returned to the other terrorists and declared, "I have killed the American." He later showed Captain De Rosa Klinghoffer's passport, making a "boom, boom" gesture.
Discovery, Funeral, and Lasting Impact
Captain De Rosa was forced by Molqi to tell Syrian authorities that a passenger had been killed, and later, under duress, falsely claimed all passengers were well during a radio broadcast. It was only after the hijackers disembarked that the full extent of the tragedy became known. American Ambassador Nicholas Veliotes boarded the Achille Lauro and confirmed Klinghoffer's death, learning that De Rosa had been held at gunpoint during his earlier false report. Klinghoffer's body was found by Syrians on October 14 or 15 and returned to the United States around October 20. His funeral, attended by 800 mourners, was held at Temple Shaaray Tefila in New York City, and he was buried at Beth David Memorial Park in Kenilworth, New Jersey.
Tragically, four months after Leon's death, his wife Marilyn died of cancer on February 9, 1986. They were survived by their two daughters, Ilsa and Lisa. The murder of Leon Klinghoffer galvanized international condemnation of terrorism and became a focal point in the subsequent diplomatic and military efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice. The incident underscored the indiscriminate nature of terrorism and the profound personal loss it inflicts, ensuring Leon Klinghoffer's name would be remembered as a victim of a senseless act of violence.
