air france flight 8969 was an air france flight that was hijacked on 24 december 1994 by the armed islamic group of algeria (gia) at houari boumediene airport, algiers, algeria. the terrorists murdered three passengers and their intention was to blow up the plane over the eiffel tower in paris. when the aircraft reached marseille, the national gendarmerie intervention group (gign), a counter-terror unit of the french national gendarmerie, stormed the plane and killed all four hijackers.