01/05/06
Eighteen
years ago this month, Mohammed Ali Hamadei
was arrested at the Frankfurt airport in
Germany for his part in the hijacking of
TWA Flight 847 and in the cold blooded murder
of U.S. Navy diver Robert Stethem, who was
summarily executed on the airliner and thrown
onto the tarmac of Beirut airport.
Today
he and his fellow Hizballah collaborators
are all at large—and we ask for your
assistance in locating them for trial in
the United States.
Remembering
the crime. It was June 14, 1985, when,
during a routine flight from Athens to Rome,
TWA 847 was hijacked by two terrorists brandishing
grenades and pistols. Over a horrific 17
days, TWA pilot John Testrake was forced
to crisscross the Mediterranean with his
153 passengers and crew members, from Beirut
to Algiers and back again, landing in Beirut
three times before he was finally allowed
to stop. The terrorists had tied passengers
up and were beating them, threatening to
kill them unless hundreds of Lebanese were
released from Israeli prisons.
It
was on June 15, during the first stop in
Beirut, that the restrained 23-year-old
Robert Stethem of Waldorf, Maryland, was
severely beaten by Hamadei and his accomplice;
was dragged to the opened aircraft door;
was shot point blank in the head; and tossed
out onto the runways.
Who
is Hamadei? Take a close look at the
photographs, taken in 2004 and 2005, of
Mohammed Ali Hamadei (aka Ali Hamadi and
Castro). He is now 41 years old, a Lebanese
citizen with black hair and dark brown eyes,
weighs 150 pounds, and has a mole on his
right cheek below the eye.
As
for his case history: he was indicted on
11/14/1985, Interpol Red Notice Control
Number A-562/12-1985, reference #19890604066,
and a reward of $250,000 each was offered
for information leading to his and his accomplices'
arrests and convictions. He was arrested
in the Frankfurt airport on January 13,
1987, carrying explosives in his luggage.
The U.S. sought extradition, but the Federal
Republic of Germany decided to prosecute
Hamadei in Germany and, on May 17, 1989,
convicted him of murder, hostage taking,
assault, and hijacking. Hamadei was sentenced
to life in prison. On 12/15/2005, however,
he was released from custody and returned
to Beirut, Lebanon, on 12/16/2005.
Be
On the Look Out. We ask for your assistance
in locating Mohammed Ali Hamadei and also
in locating his accomplices. Information
on Imad
Fayez Mugniyah, Hasan
Izz-Al-Din and Ali
Atwa can be found on our Most
Wanted Terrorists list and a reward
of $5 million for each is offered for information
leading directly to their apprehension or
conviction.
If
you have any information at all concerning
these men, we urge you to please use our
Submit A
Tip form...contact your local
field office...or contact your closest
American
Embassy or Consulate.
Note:
The individuals pictured or identified
here may have been apprehended or may
no longer be wanted by law enforcement
since the above information was posted
on this website. Please check our Wanted
by the FBI website or contact your
local FBI office for up-to-date
information.
