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Germany released Terrorist who killed US Navy Diver
- Thread starter redguru
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redguru
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From the International Herald Tribune
Germany releases 1985 hijacker
The Associated Press
Germany releases 1985 hijacker
The Associated Press
BEIRUT
A Lebanese man who was serving a life sentence in Germany for the 1985 hijacking of a TWA jetliner and the killing of a U.S. Navy diver has returned to Lebanon after German authorities paroled him, a Lebanese security official and the Hezbollah guerrilla group said Tuesday.
Mohammed Ali Hamadi was released and returned to Beirut a few days ago, a Hezbollah official in Beirut told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. He gave no further details.
A Lebanese security official also confirmed Hamadi had arrived four days ago aboard a commercial flight from Germany, but would not elaborate. It was not immediately known where Hamadi went after his entry to Lebanon. A German law enforcement official said Tuesday that Hamadi was released from prison and left Germany. Hamadi was arrested at the Frankfurt airport on Jan. 13, 1987 for involvement in the hijacking, after customs officials discovered liquid explosives in his luggage. TWA flight 847 from Athens to Rome was hijacked to Beirut, where the hijackers shot U.S. Navy diver Robert Dean Stethem, 23, of Waldorf, Maryland, and dumped his body on the tarmac. At the time, the U.S. authorities requested Hamadi's extradition so he could stand trial in the United States, but the Germans, who have no death penalty, insisted on prosecuting Hamadi. On Tuesday, German Justice Ministry spokeswoman Eva Schmierer said that Germany had not received any request from the United States for Hamadi's extradition. A spokeswoman for the Frankfurt prosecutor's office, Doris Moeller-Scheu, said Hamadi's case came up for regular review by a parole court and he was released after an expert assessment and a hearing.
A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, Martin Jaeger, said there was no connection between his release and that of Susanne Osthoff, a German woman who was released on the weekend after spending more than three weeks as a hostage in Iraq.
A Lebanese man who was serving a life sentence in Germany for the 1985 hijacking of a TWA jetliner and the killing of a U.S. Navy diver has returned to Lebanon after German authorities paroled him, a Lebanese security official and the Hezbollah guerrilla group said Tuesday.
Mohammed Ali Hamadi was released and returned to Beirut a few days ago, a Hezbollah official in Beirut told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. He gave no further details.
A Lebanese security official also confirmed Hamadi had arrived four days ago aboard a commercial flight from Germany, but would not elaborate. It was not immediately known where Hamadi went after his entry to Lebanon. A German law enforcement official said Tuesday that Hamadi was released from prison and left Germany. Hamadi was arrested at the Frankfurt airport on Jan. 13, 1987 for involvement in the hijacking, after customs officials discovered liquid explosives in his luggage. TWA flight 847 from Athens to Rome was hijacked to Beirut, where the hijackers shot U.S. Navy diver Robert Dean Stethem, 23, of Waldorf, Maryland, and dumped his body on the tarmac. At the time, the U.S. authorities requested Hamadi's extradition so he could stand trial in the United States, but the Germans, who have no death penalty, insisted on prosecuting Hamadi. On Tuesday, German Justice Ministry spokeswoman Eva Schmierer said that Germany had not received any request from the United States for Hamadi's extradition. A spokeswoman for the Frankfurt prosecutor's office, Doris Moeller-Scheu, said Hamadi's case came up for regular review by a parole court and he was released after an expert assessment and a hearing.
A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, Martin Jaeger, said there was no connection between his release and that of Susanne Osthoff, a German woman who was released on the weekend after spending more than three weeks as a hostage in Iraq.
jnuts
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redguru
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jnuts said:
Well, it will definately say something if the Lebanese government is more helpful in this matter than Germany. I was in the Navy watching this incident unfold in 1985. The Cold War at the time really prevented us from taking action then. That incident and the Beirut Marine Barracks bombings were the only times I was actually upset with Reagan.
redguru
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From The Lebanon Daily Star
According to a local source, a senior German intelligence officer traveled to Damascus earlier this month, but did not disclose the purpose of the trip. Syria is a key backer of Hizbullah.
A German court convicted Hammadi in 1989 of murder, air piracy and other crimes, for his role in the June 1985 hijacking of the TWA passenger jet.
The sentence is one Germany reserves for the most serious crimes. Hammadi served 15 years of this sentence before being released.
