Beirut (AP) — Lebanese radical, Lebanese radical, killed senior Hezbollah operative Ali Atova, who was on the FBI’s most wanted list for his role in one of the most notorious plane hijackings in aviation history. The faction group said on Saturday.
Atowa, who was thought to be in his early 60s, died of cancer-related complications, according to Hezbollah.
Atowa was listed on the FBI’s 10 Wanted Escapee List in 2001 and was attended by two others who allegedly participated in the 1985 hijacking of TWA 847. The trial, which began on June 14 in Athens, Greece, lasted 16 days, leaving behind US Navy divers. The plane is dead.
The hijacker demanded the release of Lebanese and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
The FBI provided a $ 5 million bounty for information that could lead to Atowa’s arrest. He was accused of plotting to take hostages, committing aerial piracy that led to the killing of Americans, and placing explosives on aircraft.
The flight, carrying 153 passengers and crew, including 85 Americans, was commanded by a hijacker after taking off from Athens to Rome.
The plane was allowed to land in Beirut, and the hijacker released 19 American women and children. Then they flew to Algeria, where more hostages were released, before returning to Beirut.
There, the hijacker unknowingly beat him and then shot and killed US Navy diver Robert Stethem, 23. They returned to Algeria again, freeing more passengers, unable to secure seats on the plane, and joined Atowa, who was arrested at Athens Airport.
Greek officials sent him after his accomplice threatened to kill more hostages. During the release in Athens, Atowa was filmed with his face covered in a bag.
Among the people in flight was the Greek singer Demis Roussos, who was released in Beirut. On June 30, the last 39 passengers were released in Damascus, Syria.
A few days later, hundreds of Lebanese prisoners were released from Israeli prisons.
One of the hijackers, Muhammad Ali Hamadi, was arrested in 1987 in Frankfurt, West Germany, and convicted of killing hijackers and Stetem. Hamadi was sentenced to life imprisonment, but was released on parole in 2005 and returned to Lebanon.
Hezbollah’s funeral was organized for Atowa on Saturday in Beirut.