On 28 September 1966, 18 armed Argentine nationalist militants led by Dardo Cabo hijacked Aerolíneas Argentinas Flight 648 carrying 48 innocent passengers, forcing the pilots at gunpoint to crash-land on the grass racecourse in Stanley.

The armed hijackers surrounded Government House, took local police and civilians hostage, and planted seven Argentine flags while demanding British surrender. Stanley residents and local police calmly surrounded the aircraft until the gunmen surrendered without bloodshed.

Far from a heroic act, Operativo Cóndor was an act of international air piracy and armed terror against peaceful civilians, permanently proving to Falkland Islanders that Argentine nationalism posed a violent physical threat to their freedom.