Page 211 - Encyclopedia Of Terrorism

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188———Izz-al-Din, Hasan (1963– )

According to U.S. officials, Izz-al-Din was one Izz-al-Din has avoided capture for decades. Press
of the two hijackers who took over Flight 847 from reports in 1994 told of failed U.S. efforts to kidnap
Athens to Rome on June 14, 1985. The two men’s Izz-al-Din from his Beirut home and bring him by
weapons included a pistol and hand grenades they speedboat to a U.S. warship in the Mediterranean.
had smuggled through Athens airport security. Mughniyah and Atwa also remain fugitives and are
The hijackers redirected the Boeing 727 to Beirut; also on the FBI’s 22 “most wanted terrorists” list. In
once landed, the hijackers called for the release of January 2002, the U.S. State Department began offer-
hundreds of prisoners, many of them Shiite Muslims, ing a reward of up to $25 million for information lead-
held by Israel. Mohammad Ali Hamadei, who was ing to Izz-al-Din’s arrest and/or conviction.
sentenced to life in prison in 1989 by a West German
See also ALI ATWA; HEZBOLLAH; IMAD FAYEZ MUGHNIYAH;
court for his role in the hijacking, testified that at this
TWA FLIGHT 847 HIJACKING
point Izz-al-Din shot U.S. Navy diver Robert Stethem
and dumped his body onto the tarmac.
The plane eventually logged 8,300 miles, flying Further Reading
between Beirut and Algiers. The hijackers released Berger, Joseph. “Hostages in Lebanon: The Course of
some of the 153 passengers and crew held hostage Events; 8 Days of Mideast Terror: The Journey of Flight
each time the plane landed. Eventually, the plane 847.” New York Times, June 22, 1985, A1.
stayed in Beirut while negotiations were under way. Federal Bureau of Investigation. “Most Wanted Terrorists.”
On June 30, the last of the hostages was released http://www.fbi.gov/mostwant/terrorists/fugitives.htm,
October 2001.
after Israel agreed to free 300 prisoners. The hijack-
Jaber, Hala. Hezbollah. New York: Columbia University
ers had also negotiated a flight to Algiers and free-
Press, 1997.
dom for themselves. The United States indicted
“A Nation Challenged: The Hunted; The 22 Most Wanted
Izz-al-Din and fellow Lebanese Hamadei, Imad
Suspects, in a Five-Act Drama of Global Terror.” New
Fayez Mughniyah, and Ali Atwa on July 3, 1985, on York Times, October 14, 2001, 1B.
charges related to the TWA hijacking. Hamadei was Snyder, Rodney A. Negotiating With Terrorists: TWA Flight
later caught in Frankfurt and sentenced to life in 847. Pew Case Studies in International Affairs Case 333.
prison. Pittsburgh, PA: Pew Charitable Trusts, 1994.