Germany Frees Terrorist Who Killed U.S. Navy Diver
Man Was Serving Life Sentence For Hijacking, Killing
POSTED: 7:08 am MST December 20, 2005

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BERLIN -- German authorities have paroled convicted terrorist Mohammed Ali Hamadi after he served 19 years of a life sentence for the 1985 hijacking of a TWA jetliner and the killing of a U.S. Navy diver, a law enforcement official said Tuesday.

Hamadi, who is Lebanese, has been released from prison and has left Germany, said Doris Moeller-Scheu, a spokeswoman for the Frankfurt prosecutor's office.

A Lebanese security official and a official with the Hezbollah guerilla group said Hamadi had returned to Beirut.

Moeller-Scheu said Hamadi's case came up for a regular legally mandated review by a parole court and he was released from a prison in Schwalmstadt in southwestern Germany after an expert assessment and a hearing.






TWA Flight 847 from Athens to Rome was hijacked on June 14, 1985, to Beirut, where the hijackers shot U.S. Navy diver Robert Dean Stethem, 23, of Waldorf, Maryland, and dumped his body on the tarmac.

Witnesses later identified Hamadi as having beaten the tied-up Stethem and the plane's flight engineer later testified at the 1989 trial that Hamadi bragged he had killed the diver.

Stethem's parents later sued Iran in U.S. federal courts, saying that Iran had given support to the hijackers, believed to be from the Hezbollah.

German federal officials declined to comment extensively and said the case was a matter for state authorities. Justice Ministry spokeswoman Eva Schmierer said Germany did not have any request from the United States for Hamadi's extradition.







AP Image

Memorial marker for Robert Stethem, Navy diver killed during the hijacking of TWA flight 847, Norfolk, Va.



A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, Martin Jaeger, said there was no connection between his release and that of Susanne Osthoff, a German woman released at the weekend after spending more than three weeks as a hostage in Iraq.

Stethem, 23, was severely beaten during the hijacking and shot on June 15, while the plane was in Beirut.

He was the only fatality during the ordeal, in which 39 Americans were held hostage for 17 days. He received the Bronze Star and Purple Heart decorations posthumously, and a U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer is named in his honor.

Hamadi was arrested at the Frankfurt airport on Jan. 13, 1987, when customs officials discovered liquid explosives in his luggage.

U.S. authorities had requested his extradition so he could stand trial in the United States, but the Germans, who have no death penalty, insisted on prosecuting Hamadi.

fucking worthless

I wonder how long this guy will live.

Catch and release?  He better hope US forces don't catch up with him.

How did he escape the first time????

The murder was in 85, but he was arrested -in an airport- in 87????

ibtdp

The Germans used to be such good allies.  Hopefully, we can track down the bastard and bring him here for another trial.

Hopefully they let him go so that we can follow his every move so he can lead us to more terrorists.  (I doubt that was the reason, though)

I work with some guys that knew the victim and his brother (EOD/SEAL).  If it was my brother I know what I would do to this guy and I am not a SEAL.  

Quoted: The Germans used to be such good allies.  Hopefully, we can track down the bastard and bring him here for another trial.

Trial?  My guess would be that he will suffer a long painfull death at the hands of some Navy folks in some deep dark shithole country.  At least I hope he does.

I hope this guy gets his rasins and virgins soon.

Quoted: The Germans used to be such good allies.  Hopefully, we can track down the bastard and drag him naked through the rocks and cactus.

why another trial?? He was already convicted- and I doubt he even plead not-guilt.

I have the distinct feeling every Special Forces that is allied with the US wouldn't mind taking a shot at that asshole.

Quoted: Hopefully they let him go so that we can follow his every move so he can lead us to more terrorists.  (I doubt that was the reason, though)

The Socialist Republic of Germany is broke. They can't afford to keep him alive.

U.S. authorities had requested his extradition so he could stand trial in the United States, but the Germans, who have no death penalty, insisted on prosecuting Hamad.

Dupe!

link to thread this is a dupe of

Quoted: I have the distinct feeling every Special Forces that is allied with the US wouldn't mind taking a shot at that asshole.

I imagine there is a plan a brewing already for this action

There is no way this guy should be allive one week from now.  There are many organizations that would repay a small portion of their debt to the U.S. by making him go see Allah.

HH

He is being put out like a piece of cheese. We want his handlers identified and eliminated

Quoted: The CIA Navy SEALs needs to hunt this guy down and eliminate him.

Let the Navy take care of this. We have a score to settle for Mr. Stetham.

Quoted: The CIA needs to hunt this guy down and eliminate him.

Predators re-tasking for a new mission. Hamadi better wear a neck brace so he can keep an eye skyward.

what in the hell is with the germans?

lets hope some special ops types toetag this MF'r.

Quoted: He is being put out like a piece of cheese. We want his handlers identified and eliminated

It would be nice if that were true, and I don't doubt that the CIA is all over this one, but he was released because Germans are pussies of epic proportions. Don't forget, the brave ones died in WW2.

Germany frees Hezbollah member Hammadi Tuesday, 20 December, 2005 @ 2:19 PM Beirut, Lebanon - Germany has secretly released Hammadi ,a Hezbollah member jailed for life for killing a U.S. Navy diver and returned him to Lebanon despite an extradition request from the United States. Lebanese political sources said on Tuesday. Political sources said on Tuesday that Mohammad Ali Hammadi, convicted of killing Navy diver Robert Dean Stethem during the 1985 hijacking of a TWA flight diverted to Beirut and sentenced to life without parole, was flown back to the Lebanese capital last week. Diplomatic sources in Germany confirmed Hammadi's release but the German Foreign Ministry declined to comment. Hammadi, now in his late 30s, was captured in 1987 and all attempts to have him exchanged with German hostages held in Lebanon in the late 1980s and early 1990s failed. Hammadi's brother, Abdul-Hadi, was a senior security official of Hizbollah at the time. News of his release could anger Washington as it had indicted him for Stethem's murder and had asked Berlin to extradite him to the United States if ever he was to be freed. Hammadi's release occurred a few days before German hostage Susanne Osthoff was freed in Iraq. The archaeologist had disappeared on Nov. 25. Germany said on Sunday she was in safe custody. She has made no public statement since. A Lebanese source said a senior German intelligence officer visited Damascus early this month but did not disclose the purpose of the trip. Syria is a key backer of Hezbollah. The U.S. embassy in Berlin had no immediate comment on Hammadi's release. But several diplomatic sources there said Washington would not be pleased with Germany's action and that it could complicate relations between the two countries. A German government official told Reuters that any suggestion of a connection between Osthoff's and Hammadi's release was "completely absurd". 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 that was diverted to Beirut and Algiers and sentenced him to life in prison. His sentence is one Germany reserves for the most serious and cruel crimes. It is difficult but not impossible to release someone who receives such a sentence after 15 years. Stethem, a native of Waldorf, Maryland, was based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, at the time of the hijacking. Hammadi's other brother, Abbas Ali, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for plotting the kidnapping of two Germans in Lebanon in the hope of forcing the release of his brother. He was released from jail after serving his term. (Additional reporting by Lou Charbonneau in Berlin) Background information on TWA Flight 847 Trans World Airlines Flight 847 was hijacked on Friday June 14, 1985, while flying from Athens to Rome. Piloted by Captain John Testrake, the Boeing 727 departed at 10:10 am, carrying 153 passengers and crew, including flight engineer Benjamin C. Zimmerman, co-pilot Philip G. Maresca, and flight attendant Uli Derickson. It was commandeered shortly after takeoff by two men who had smuggled pistols and grenades through the Athens airport security. A third hijacker, Ali Atwa, was bumped from the flight and was later arrested. The plane stopped for several hours at Beirut, where 19 passengers were allowed to leave in exchange for fuel. The aircraft continued on to Algiers where 20 passengers were released during a five-hour stop, before heading back to Beirut. At the time, Lebanon was experiencing civil war, and Beirut was divided into sectors with different militia controlling different areas. The Beirut International Airport, surrounded by a Shiite neighborhood, had no perimeter security and nearby residents could simply drive onto the runway. During this stop, the hijackers identified an American Navy diver, Robert Stethem, among the passengers. They beat him, shot him in the right temple, and dumped his body out of the plane onto the tarmac. Several passengers with Jewish-sounding names were taken off the plane, but not released. Nearly a dozen armed men joined the hijackers before the plane returned to Algiers where an additional 65 passengers were released. It again returned to Beirut, landing on Sunday afternoon, and remained here. The Greek government released the accomplice Ali Atwa and in exchange, the hijackers released eight Greek citizens. One of the passengers was Demis Roussos, a Greek folk singer. The initial demands of the hijackers included the release of all Shiites captured by Israel in Lebanon, international condemnation of Israeli military activity in southern Lebanon, condemnation of U.S. actions in the Middle East, and condemnation of the March 8, 1985, car bombing in the Beirut suburb of Bir al Abed. Rumors in Beirut suggested that the car bombing, which killed 80 people, was linked to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. By Monday afternoon, June 17, most of the hostages had been taken from the plane to a secure location. The 40 remaining hostages were protected by Nabih Berri, a moderate Shiite leader of the Amal militia. He was also an official in the fractured Lebanon government. One of the hostages was released when he developed heart trouble, the other 39 remained captive until June 30, when they were driven to Syria, boarded a U.S. Air Force plane, and flew to West Germany. Israel released most of the prisoners within a month after the hijacking ended. They stated that the release was unrelated to the hijacking and had long been planned. One of the hijackers, Mohammed Ali Hammadi, was arrested two years later in Frankfurt, Germany. He was tried and convicted of Stethem's murder and is serving a life sentence in Germany. On October 10, 2001, three of the 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. Stewardess Uli Derickson was widely credited with calming the hijackers and saving the lives of many passengers.

Hijackers aboard TWA flight 847


US Navy Diver Robert Stethem.


Robert Stethem's body after being beaten, shot and dumped on the tarmac and left for hours.


Mohammed Ali Hamadi in 1989


GODDAMN THOSE FUCKING GERMAN FUCKING COCKSUCKERS!!! GODDAMN THEM TO MOTHERFUCKING HELL!!!

Don't blame the Germans. We're just as pussified as they are and we'd release him also after he had done is time and got "parole" which inevitably would happen thanks to the liberal attorneys or ACLU or Greenpeace. I don't doubt but that he's been 'marked' and will be conveniently smoked in a few months in an unbelievable freak of nature accident.

     

Sounds like a job for a hellfire missle.

Aside from being my ancestors, those fucking krauts have proven to be pretty worthless.


- BG

Germany has a history of being our enemy.  Twice in the last century.  Why should now be any different?  To hell with the "fatherland".

The link I was sent requires registration, but I'm hearing that the Lebanese government has arrested this guy and are considering a request for extradition to the US.

The new government of Lebanon doesn't think too highly of pro-Syrian terrorist guys. By even arresting him and considering a request they're showing themselves to be better friends than the Germans.

Quoted: The link I was sent requires registration, but I'm hearing that the Lebanese government has arrested this guy and are considering a request for extradition to the US. The new government of Lebanon doesn't think too highly of pro-Syrian terrorist guys. By even arresting him and considering a request they're showing themselves to be better friends than the Germans.

President GW Bush's GWOT might pay another dividend. With the USMC on the Syrian border, there's not much they can do if the Lebanese hand Hamadi over to guys wearing Hawaiian shirts.

Quoted: Quoted: Aside from being my ancestors, those fucking krauts have proven to be pretty worthless. - BG Yup--my last name is as common in Germany as "Smith" or "Johnson" here.  I guess it's true all the worthwhile Germans either fled after WWI--or died in WWII.  Such a proud and grand country in its day.  Very sad.

Hope all the BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Audi & VW owners are proud of contributing to our good buddies, the Germans... they almost make France look trustworthy.

A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, Martin Jaeger, said there was no connection between his release and that of Susanne Osthoff, a German woman released at the weekend after spending more than three weeks as a hostage in Iraq.

Liar.

Does the Mossad hire out freelancers?  They did nice work with the Munich murderers.

Hopefully I see him in Iraq this summer.

To those of you who think things will run differently now that Schroeder is gone and Christian-Democrats are in power... wrong. Not that the executive has power over our courts, separation of powers is still functional. But with some paperwork it could have been turned over  from a state court to federal court, which in turn could have made extradition possible.

Actually, life in prison doesn't literally mean life in German law. There is chance of early release after 20 or 25 years. I wonder if it's different in the USA.

Here's hoping justice catches up with him eventually. This is a disgrace.

Nothing personal, but after having rebuilt Germany after WWII, the least they could do is keep killers of US military in prison for life (if not extraditing them)

The only justice from this is that the RoP will eventually overrun Germany, as it will most of Europe, and all the apologists and their descendents will enjoy the "enlightenment" of living under Muslim rule. Perhaps the Muslim capitol of the EU will be Paris, oh the irony.

.

Quoted: Here's hoping justice catches up with him eventually. This is a disgrace.

It sure is!!


Let's also hope the Navy takes care of its own as well.

I remember this happening, and our apparent lack-luster response.

I am a big believer in public retribution for these acts. It serves as a loud reminder to those who would think of similar actions.

I hope and pray that one day the USS Stethem will be able to avenge its namesake.