Silco incident

Silco incident
Location	Mediterranean Sea
Date	August 1, 1985
Target	Silco
Attack type	kidnapping
Deaths	0
Non-fatal injuries	multiple people abducted
Perpetrators	Palestinian terrorists and Libya
Motive	unknown; those kidnapped later traded for release of Said Al Nasr

The Silco incident involves the kidnapping of the Belgian-French family Houtekins-Kets by Palestinian terrorists and the Libyan government from their yacht Silco in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea on August 1, 1985. The Belgian part of the family was held for almost five years of captivity in Libya, but were freed after the liberation of Abu Nidal terrorist Said Al Nasr (who was convicted in the early 1980s for throwing a hand grenade into a group of Jewish children in Antwerp) for the family, in Cairo, Egypt, on January 12, 1991. The French part of the family were released somewhat earlier, when the French government negotiated their freedom with the Libyan government.

References

• ""We hebben zes jaar van ons leven gemist"; Familie Houtekins spreekt voor het eerst na gijzeling in Libie". Het Nieuwsblad. 2005-03-24.
• ""Een vergissing van bijna zes jaar; Verbitterde familie Houtekins doorbreekt na 14 jaar de stilte". De Standaard. 2005-03-23.
• "Vijfeneenhalf jaar in een wachtkamer". De Standaard. 2003-03-25.