Germany - Trading Terrorist for Hostage

Looks like Germany is up to its old tricks of trading terrorists for hostages. They never learn.

Hammadi, who killed Stethem [a US Navy man] during the hijacking of a TWA flight 847, had been sentenced to life without parole. He was convicted by Germany in 1989 for his role in the hijacking the plane and diverting it to Beirut and Algiers and for murder. Three of the other alleged hijackers, Imad Mugniyah, Ali Atwa, and Hassan Izz-Al-Din were placed on the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list. Rewards of $25 million for information leading to their arrests and convictions are currently being offered by the United States.

German authorities reportedly returned Hammadi to Lebanon despite US attempts to extradite him if he was ever freed. He had been arrested in Germany two years after the hijacking.

[...]

Since Hammadi's capture in 1987, many unsuccessful attempts were made to have him exchanged with German hostages held in Lebanon in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Hammadi's brother, Abdul-Hadi, was a senior official in Hizbullah at the time of the hijacking.

Hammadi's release coincides with the release of German hostage Susanne Osthoff, who was abducted on November 25 in Iraq.

More here including this:

In response, the State and Justice Departments worked through the night and a Washington blizzard preparing the proper extradition papers and translating the documents into German. But within 24 hours of the public announcement of Hamadi's arrest, a German citizen was kidnapped in Beirut; within a few days the terrorists grabbed a second German hostage.

The great urgency suddenly subsided into a six-month lull while the Germans delayed and delayed their decision on extradition.

UPDATE

Michelle notes: Debbie Schlussel has the scoop here and here.
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