50th Anniversary of Detroit-hatched Hijacking of Delta 841

**Lowell** · August-01-21, 10:40 AM

There's an excellent read of the 1972 airline hijacking by a group of Detroit Black Panthers, focusing on the surviving hijacker Melvin McNair, in today's Free Press. The trigger was an earlier six-shot police shooting of one of the hijack members during an arrest for an offense that was later thrown out.

The plane eventually took them with a million dollars ransom to Algiers which at that time sheltered Black Panthers. The Algerians confiscated and returned the ransom money but allowed them to stay.

The hijackers became disillusioned with the Panthers and slipped into France where they were later caught. McNair served four years for air piracy, used the experience to learn French and, as detailed in the article, turns his life around, becoming a respected community member in Caen, and widely known as a baseball and sports coach. He remains a fugitive of the US but the French refuse to extradite him citing his good citizenry, time served, and that no one was hurt during the hijacking.

https://freep-mi.newsmemory.com?publ...4421be_1345e95

**renf** · August-02-21, 07:28 AM

Thank you, Lowell, for bringing our attention to the interesting story in
yesterday's paper. Thank goodness, the era of hijacking airplanes appears to be over. And McNair certainly turned his life around. There is a growing interest in baseball in France.

**Henry Whalley** · August-02-21, 07:45 AM

Thanks, Lowell. I completely missed the story because I was elsewhere having fun that summer.

**MikeM** · August-04-21, 09:45 AM

1972 actually. Next year is the anniversary.

One of the bizarre aspects of the story was the grave they left behind in the living room of their house on Manistique, in the Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood.

I would post an image of the article but I guess I've exceeded my limit. Link if you have a subscription: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82783896/hikacking/

**Lowell** · August-04-21, 10:42 AM

Originally Posted by MikeM

1972 actually. Next year is the anniversary.

One of the bizarre aspects of the story was the grave they left behind in the basement of their house on Manistique, in the Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood.

I would post an image of the article but I guess I've exceeded my limit. Link if you have a subscription: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82783896/hikacking/

Thanks. Date correction made above.