Former Italian premier claims French missile accidentally hit airliner in 1980

Former premier Giuliano Amato claims that a French air force missile brought down a passenger jet over the Mediterranean Sea in 1980 (Plinio Lepri/AP)

A former Italian premier contended that a French air force missile accidentally brought down a passenger jet over the Mediterranean Sea in 1980 in a failed bid to assassinate Libya’s then-leader Moammar Gaddafi.

Former two-time premier Giuliano Amato appealed to French President Emmanuel Macron to either refute or confirm his assertion about the cause of the crash of Itavia flight 870 on June 27 1980, which killed all 81 persons aboard.