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Subject:Re: Vanagons being called "Hippie Wagons"..
From:Florian Speier
Date:Mon, 12 May 2008 09:34:26 -0700

On Mon, May 12, 2008 at 7:53 AM, Lee Kirstein <leekirstein@gmail.com> wrote:

> I've also heard "Terrorist Bus" as a nickname (maybe stemming from the
> 60's
> bus used in Back to the Future?).
>

well, a baywindow was used in probably germanys most famous terrorist attack
during the "german autumn" in the 70's.
as far as i recall the story, baader meinhof wanted to kidnap the president
of the german bank on his way home. he was travelling in convoy with a
security car, but for unknown reasons the security car was following the
presidents car.
at one intersection, a baywindow shot out into the middle of the street and
the presidents car crashed into it. several ladies pushing their strollers
nearby threw out the plastic babies, grabbed the automatic rifles underneath
and opened fire on the security car, immediately killing all guards. the
guards in the presidents car were also killed afaik. they kidnapped the bank
president and held him hostage for a few weeks in a highrise apartment,
before killing him too.

the terrorists were jailed in the late eighties and nineties. the last ones
were released last year as the ideological background that motivated the
crime does not exist any more and therefore the terrorists are no danger to
society any more.

there will be plenty better info on this on wikipedia though.

florian