The 1999 hijacking of IC 814 forced India to release three convicted terrorists, who later played roles in subsequent attacks including the 2001 Indian Parliament attack.
Key Facts
- Total occupants
- 190 (179 passengers, 11 crew)
- Hijackers
- 5 members of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen
- Passengers released in Dubai
- 27
- Prisoners released by India
- 3 convicted terrorists
- Crisis duration
- 24–31 December 1999
- CBI convictions
- 2 sentenced to life imprisonment
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Five members of the Pakistan-based militant group Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, operating as part of the late-1999 millennium attack plots linked to Al-Qaeda, seized Indian Airlines Flight 814 on 24 December 1999 shortly after the aircraft entered Indian airspace on its route from Kathmandu to New Delhi.
The hijackers diverted the Airbus A300 through Amritsar, Lahore, and Dubai before forcing it to land in Taliban-controlled Kandahar, Afghanistan. Negotiations led by Indian officials including Vivek Katju, Ajit Doval, and C.D. Sahay lasted several days, complicated by Taliban troops encircling the aircraft and the presence of Pakistani intelligence officers.
India released three imprisoned terrorists—Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, Masood Azhar, and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar—in exchange for the hostages. All three were freed by the Taliban rather than arrested, and each was subsequently linked to major terrorist incidents including the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, the 2002 murder of Daniel Pearl, and the 2019 Pulwama attack.