In Lillehammer, Norway, a tragic misidentification occurred when Mossad agents conducted an operation that resulted in the killing of a Moroccan waiter named Ahmed Bouchiki. Bouchiki was mistaken for a Palestinian guerrilla, who the agents believed was responsible for the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. The agents had been tasked by the Israeli government to track down individuals associated with the Black September Organization, which carried out the Munich attack. Despite their intelligence efforts, the identification of Bouchiki was incorrect, leading to an avoidable death and subsequent fallout.

The operation was poorly executed, with agents surveilling Bouchiki for some time before a decision was made to kill him in a public place. This execution took place in the early hours of the morning, illustrating the lengths to which Mossad was willing to go in order to exact revenge for the Olympic massacre. The incident quickly attracted significant media attention and garnered condemnation, not merely from Norwegian authorities but from around the world.

Following the killing, the Norwegian police initiated an investigation, leading to the arrest of several Mossad agents who were subsequently charged with murder. The case highlighted the murky ethics surrounding extrajudicial killings and the complex international implications of state-sponsored attempts at justice. It strained relations between Norway and Israel, forcing the Israeli government to address the ramifications of its covert operations abroad.