Wilfried Böse

Who was Wilfried Böse?

Wilfried Böse was a founding member of the German left-wing organization Revolutionary Cells. Böse himself never admitted he carried out terrorist attacks in West Germany but saw urban guerilla attacks against Western capitalism as being the result of the economic system.

Wilfried Böse led the 1976 hijacking of Air France Flight 139. After diverting Air France Flight 139 from Athens, Greece to Entebbe, Uganda, Bose separated the Israelis from the other passengers; the other passengers were allowed to go home. During the hijacking, Böse is reported to have told a Jewish passenger who had showed to Böse his Auschwitz tattoo, "I'm no Nazi! ... I am an idealist." Böse was killed during Operation Entebbe, when Israel Defense Forces commandos stormed the airport terminal where the hostages were being held. The hijacking of Air France Flight 139 resulted in the deaths of 4 civilian passengers.

He is played by German actor Klaus Kinski in the film Operation Thunderbolt, Helmut Berger in Victory at Entebbe, Horst Buchholz in the film Raid on Entebbe, and by Aljoscha Stadelmann in the miniseries Carlos.