THE HOSTAGE TERRORIST

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000504730005-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 8, 2012
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: January 23, 1987
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/08 :CIA-RDP90-009658000504730005-1
ART tt;l.t'-r
ON PA(~ .
The
Hostage
Terrorist
Washington.
BLEAK DAYS had produced
bleak humor in the U.S. anti-?
terrorism community, which
was devastated to learn that Presi-
dent Reagan secretly had sold arms
to Iran as ransom for U.S. hostages
1n Lebanon.
"Things got so bad," said a terror
expert. "that we thought of putting
little coupons to the back of U.S.
passports: 'Notice to Kidnapers: This
By Lars-Erik Nelson
'coupon entitles you to a boatload of
anti-tank missiles. That way, when
an American is taken hostage ?a~?e
.vouldn't trade missiles for him. We
wouldn't be paying ransom. We'd
lust redeem the coupon."
Spirits perked up -but not a lot
- last week when West German
police seized Mohammed Alf Hamad-
et. 22. alias Castro. aLebanese-born
Palestinian wanted for murdering
U.S. Navy diver Robert Stethem dur-
ing the June 1985 TWA hijacking.
Mr. Hamadet was stopped at the
Frankfurt airport with three wine
bottles full of methyl nitrate, and the
Justice Department promptly dug
out the warrant for his anrst.
Mr. Hamadet and an accomplice,
Hassan Izz-al-Din, are charged with
being the triggermen who boarded
the flight in Athens, killed Mr. Steth-
em with a 9mm pistol and began the
17-day hijacking to win release of
Lebanese prisoners in an Israeli
prison.
If he is extradited from West Ger-
many, it will be the first time U.S.
investigators have had a crack at
Br1LTIi~fORE SUv
23 Januarv 198?
questioning an Arab terrorist, find- though tt is common to view Arab
ing out who pays him, who gives terrorism as a single vast conspira-
him orders and what makes him cy, Mr. Hamadet is viewed as a low-
tick. But It is a mixed blessing. level operative for the Hezbollah -
"This is going to be the acid test a religious fanatic rather than apro-
for us," says a State Department of- fessionai assassin like Abu Nidal.
fictal. "We know we've got the right "Hamadei's
"
a gtvnt,
a U.S. ex-
guy. He's been identified by finger- pert said. "This guy's information Is
prints and by eyewitnesses- He's a going to be limited. He might glue us
Shia Moslem. We think he's a mem- a useful picture about what's going
ber of Hezbotlah Ithe Partv of Godl. on in Lebanon, where he's been
We finally have one of their guys since the TWA hijacking. gut 1 won-
under lock and key."~ That's the der how much else he knows."
gOOd ~~ Ironically, tote tfg n xnr`a
The bad part: "it's going to be will not be allowed to uest! r.
interesting to see if they try to trade
our hostages in Lebanon for hfm. "We can orovid ba e,Y, ~nr1 for
We've never been in the position be- the prosecutors who tnterroaa[e
fore of befog asked to release any- him, but once e's charged with a
body that we were holding. Now crime, eve htn he saes is oosstble
we're going to have threats levied ev epee," sal a expert.
against us in some form."' We're aotnQ to have serious
West Germany is already finding troub a Aettin>Z access to him be-
out. Two of its citizens have been cause o~ the evtdentt rules. 1 ho
kidnaped in Lebanon this week, and t e wi et us have access to the
Bonn officials are holding up extra- n err'ogatlon transcripts. We'll find
dlting Mr. Hamadet until they figure out the rest at is trial."
out what to do about the hos es.
If Mr. Hamadet is extrad tied to MrBHamadei is entitled, atlhts imer-
the United States, American officials rogation and trial, to all the rights
are dead set against swapping hfm afforded by the U.S. Constitution.
for U.S. hostages being held in Leba- First among [hose is the right not
non, but they are only too aware of to talk. if he has been paying atten-
the political pressures that have tion to the White House officials who
been put on the Reagan admfnistra- dealt with Iranian terrorism. Mr. Ha-
tton by the hostage families. madei will know all about the Fifth
There is also some questlon about Amendment.
how much Mr. Hamadet knows. Al- vrw vork oanv vrW,
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/08 :CIA-RDP90-009658000504730005-1