WI : 1994 Eiffel Tower terrorist attack succeeds

The success of the raid on the plane made the GIGN (the gendarmerie special forces )famous.
If the plot to crash the plane on Paris succeed, some of the GIGN fame will be lost, they will not be as known to the French.

The hijackers were from the GIA : armed islamic group.
The same group that will made bombs attacks in the Paris metro some months later. Maybe these will be butterflied away with a military action in Algeria.

I concur that France will strongly demands Algeria authorize joint operations to destroy terrorists bases in Algeria, with many trade agreements to the side.

It might also change the outcome of the Presidential election in 1995.
In OTL it was won by Jacques Chirac. His adversary was François Balladur who was prime minister at the time of the hijacking.
Depending on how he plays his cards, Balladur can win the election.
I have no idea how it might affect France.
 
Hitting the Eiffel Tower ?

240px-Tour_Eiffel_Wikimedia_Commons.jpg


You need to be expert pilot to hit it, the chance is high that terrorist amateur Pilot miss it
in case it miss it the airplane would hit the Parc "Champ de Mars" or opposed Trocadéro.

The case Airline hit are several aspects to be consider

The Eiffel Tower is a metal framework structure of 7300 tonnes puddled iron.
so strangely it sound but if Airliner hit frontal into middle section of Tower, it could survived almost intact.
if the tower is hit by wing it simply shredded true that with minor damage
the fuselage of aircraft is made mostly of Aluminum it would be shredded destroying front part of tower metal framework

but the aircraft Kerosine would ignite and gushes burning over metal framework structure to ward platforms restaurants and wait list of tourist on ground.
the Heat of burning kerosine would damage the puddled iron. making the Tower in-stable even make it collapse.

Out come would be Similar 9/11 after the Eiffel Tower terror attack, safety on Airliner would increased preventing maybe September 11 terror attack.
France would military intervene in Algeria annihilate Terrorist hide out, without informing the Algeria Government
and if Gaddafi is stupid enough to praise the Eiffel Tower terror attack, the France would consider to intervene in Libya with bombers...
 
nukes weren't used because the attack wasn't carried out by any country but an independent group. Afghanistan sheltered said group and was invaded for it.

Nukes weren't used because there's a thing called proportionality in law. You don't get to kill millions or even tens of millions of foreign civilians because their leader killed a few hundred of yours.

Same reason you don't get to beat someone senseless because they stepped on your foot.
 
Nukes weren't used because there's a thing called proportionality in law. You don't get to kill millions or even tens of millions of foreign civilians because their leader killed a few hundred of yours.

Same reason you don't get to beat someone senseless because they stepped on your foot.
The Eiffel Tower is a symbol and a very strong one. So it classifies as a kick in the family jewels, both symbolically and shape-wise.
Nukes are improbable, but France will remain edgy for years - until it's rebuilt even bigger.
 
The Eiffel Tower is a symbol and a very strong one. So it classifies as a kick in the family jewels, both symbolically and shape-wise.
Nukes are improbable, but France will remain edgy for years - until it's rebuilt even bigger.

I don't disagree with that, but nuclear weapons are all but a crime against humanity in real life. Rhetorically, for some strange reason, they're treated as all but special effects.
 
Top