Leila Khaled
Leila Khaled | |
|---|---|
| ليلى خالد | |
Khaled at the Beirut International Forum for Resistance, Anti-Imperialism, Solidarity between Peoples, and Alternatives, 2009 | |
| Born | April 9, 1944 |
| Organization | Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine |
| Known for | Pro-Palestinian militancy |
| Movement | Arab Nationalist Movement |
Leila Khaled (Arabic: ليلى خالد [ˈlajla ˈxaːled]; born April 9, 1944) is a Palestinian former militant and activist who was a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). She is famous as being the first woman to hijack an airplane.
Khaled gained her prominence for her role in the TWA Flight 840 hijacking in 1969 and one of the four simultaneous Dawson's Field hijackings the following year as part of the campaign of Black September in Jordan. After being imprisoned, she was released in a prisoner exchange for civilian hostages kidnapped by other PFLP members.