Operation Finale was conducted by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad to capture and secretly transport Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann from Argentina to Israel in May 1960. Eichmann was a Nazi SS officer who organized the logistics of the Holocaust. He coordinated the deportation of millions of Jews to extermination camps, managing trains, paperwork, and schedules. After the war he fled to Argentina.

Before his capture, Adolf Eichmann lived quietly in Argentina under the alias Ricardo Klement, working at a Mercedes-Benz factory. His identity was eventually exposed after a tip from a German-Jewish émigré family alerted Israeli intelligence, which then placed him under surveillance for months before launching the operation to seize him.

Capture plan

Two different capture plans were proposed. According to Zvi Aharoni's plan, Malkin and another agent would wait for Eichmann near his home, with two cars arriving immediately after the capture to whisk him away. Malkin rejected this plan and proposed his own. In his plan, one car would be parked on Garibaldi Street with its hood open, the driver pretending to fix a breakdown. Eichmann, returning from work, would pass directly by it. Malkin would approach Eichmann and meet him near the car. The second car would arrive only after a successful capture.

Malkin argued that if Aharoni's plan failed (ex. if a local policeman appeared or the cars couldn't approach), the Israelis would end up in an Argentine prison, and Eichmann would disappear, making it impossible to find him again. In Malkin's plan, if Eichmann panicked at the sight of the parked car and fled, the capture would be aborted, and the car would leave. Eichmann would then believe his fears were unfounded, allowing the operation to be attempted differently later. Harel approved Malkin's plan.

Capture

On 11 May, two cars and seven operatives waited for Eichmann to return from work. Eichmann was captured at eight o'clock in the evening on a Buenos Aires street by a Mossad team.

Events

Eichmann typically arrived home from work by bus at 7:40 PM. This time, he was not on the bus. He appeared only on the bus arriving at 8:05 PM and walked toward his home.

The capture was carried out, as planned, by Peter Malkin. When Eichmann was 10 meters from the ambush, Malkin addressed him in Spanish: "One moment, sir!", then subdued him with a nelson wrestling hold and knocked him to the ground. Avraham Shalom jumped out of the car and grabbed Eichmann's legs, and together they dragged him into the car. According to Malkin, the capture took just over 20 seconds. No bystanders were nearby. Rafi Eitan claimed Eichmann offered no resistance and merely whimpered.

In the car, Eichmann's mouth was gagged, his hands and feet were bound, dark glasses were placed on him, and he was covered with a blanket. Zvi Aharoni said in German: "One sound, and you're dead". Eichmann remained still. Both cars drove to one of the Mossad's safe houses. En route, Eitan searched Eichmann for known scars and, finding them, exclaimed, "It's him!".