[3][4] The plane was also used to accompany a group of Arab terrorists back to Tripoli who were blocked on 5 September 1973 while they were preparing to launch a missile from a terrace in Ostia at an Israeli airline jet.

[15][16] Giovanni Pellegrino, former president of the italian commissione stragi, was of the same opinion and believed that the cause should be sought based on the use made of the plane by Gladio.

In 2000 General Gianadelio Maletti (SID) stated during an interview with a journalist of the italian newspaper la Repubblica that the plane was returning from Libya after having released five palestinians involved in a failed attack in Ostia and arrested and that an "unfortunate stop" in Malta officially confirmed to the israeli secret services what was happening.

He also declared that he had been contacted by Asa Leven the then head of the israeli secret services station in Rome before that operation and that he was aware of the italian government's intentions he proposed to collaborate to kidnap the five and extradite them to Jerusalem but he said "nothing will be done" and "argo 16 crashes".

The defense lawyers managed to dismantle all the charges and on December 16, 1999 the judges concluded the trial by establishing that the plane crashed due to a failure or pilot error.