Families sue Dutch state over ”execution” of train hijackers

The families of two hijackers killed when Dutch forces stormed a train seized by Moluccan extremists in 1977 are suing the government, claiming the hijackers were “executed” by marines when they could have been arrested, according to details of the case released Monday. The civil case harks back to the hijacking nearly 40 years ago […]

The families of two hijackers killed when Dutch forces stormed a train seized by Moluccan extremists in 1977 are suing the government, claiming the hijackers were “executed” by marines when they could have been arrested, according to details of the case released Monday.
The civil case harks back to the hijacking nearly 40 years ago in the northeastern Netherlands by members of the Moluccan community angry at what they saw as their betrayal by the Dutch government after former colony Indonesia was granted independence.
The 20-day ordeal for dozens of passengers ended when marines stormed the train, killing six hijackers. Two hostages also died in the operation that began early on June 11, 1977, when air force jets flew low over the train. Marines then opened fire before storming the carriages.