Air France Flight 8969 was a scheduled passenger flight from Algiers to Paris that was hijacked on December 24, 1994. The aircraft, an Airbus A300, was taken over by a group of armed terrorists from the GIA (Armed Islamic Group) shortly after takeoff. They demanded the release of their comrades imprisoned in France and threatened to kill passengers if their demands were not met. The hijacking lasted for several days, during which the plane was diverted to multiple locations, including Marseille and Marseille Provence Airport. The crisis ended on December 26 when French special forces stormed the aircraft, resulting in the deaths of all the hijackers and some passengers.