Germany frees killer of U.S. diver

CNN ^ | 12/20/05 | Correspondent Chris Burns

[minus_273]

BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- A Hezbollah militant sentenced to life in Germany for murdering a U.S. Navy diver during the 1985 hijacking of a U.S. jetliner has been freed, officials said.

The German government denied on Tuesday the release was related to the freeing of a German hostage in Iraq.

Mohammed Ali Hamadi was released Thursday and allowed to return to his native Lebanon on the next day, after qualifying for parole after 19 years in prison, said Ulrich Hermanski, spokesman for the North Rhine Wesphalia state justice ministry.

"There was no special treatment," Hermanski said in a telephone interview.

[Michael81Dus]

Please look at post #105.

[Michael81Dus]

Please look at post #105.

[Michael81Dus]

Yes, he should. Since we Europeans oppose the death penalty, that´s a good start. Sadly, I don´t think that killers of Europeans are in US federal prisons.

[Michael81Dus]

Agreed.

[Michael81Dus]

See post #105, please.

[SJackson]

As a matter of course the U.S. does not have -- nor does it even seek -- the authroity to prosecute crimes committed against U.S. citizens in foreign countries.

We do, as do most nations, based on the principle of passive personality as it exists in international law. The FBI often investigates crimes against Americans overseas, and offers rewards of information in all cases except Americans murdered in Israel. Generally prosecution is limited to cases where local officials refuse to act, but our jurisdiction isn't limited in that way. If we want to prosecute this murder, we can. We can and occasionally do also prosecute crimes of American citizens committed overseas. I believe this is becoming an issue in internet law.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Merry Christmas Michael. It's frustrating to see terrorist murderers released, even though it is the law of the land in this case. One can only hope that he'll travel to Iraq and get his fill of jihad at the hands of US Forces.

[LibWhacker]

Germans have always treated murder lightly. It's one of the reasons Hitler had such an easy time rising to power... Kill a bunch of Jews, a bunch of Poles, a bunch of Brits, a bunch of Americans?... No problemo.

[SJackson]

rewards of information in all cases except Americans murdered in Israel

should read rewards of information in all cases except, until recently, Americans murdered in Israel.

[Michael81Dus]

Thank you, and merry Christmas to you and yours as well. If he hasn´t discovered the path of peace by now, your words shall come true.

[ZULU]

"We also rebuilt the western 2/3rds afterwards."

Apparently an error. And I doubt our carpet bombing was as through as their present ingratitude would have merited had we known. You can throw most of France in there too.

[msnimje]

The German government denied on Tuesday the release was related to the freeing of a German hostage in Iraq.

Yeah, right. I bet part of the deal was he had to "pinky swear" not to kill anybody else (at least not any Germans).

[Southack]

The real news behind the news is that the German government is clearly admitting that they've known what we've known all along, that Lebanon's Hezbollah is behind the insurgency in Iraq.

It's not just that freeing Mohammed Ali Hamadi points the finger squarely at Old Europe's duplicity, but that Germany *knew* to offer up something (read: someone) whom the insurgents in Iraq would actually view as an enticing trade.

...And the only people who care about Mohammed Ali Hamadi being free (rather than a martyr) are in Hezbollah's top leadership ranks.

So yeah, Germany got their hostage in Iraq freed...and magically ("no relationship here, folks!") Mohammed Ali Hamadi gets his life sentence commuted to time served.

Now we can begin to see why President Bush's calls first for Syria to withdraw from Lebanon and second for Hezbollah in Lebanon to be disarmed (both approved simultaneously by the UN with full EU support) were so important to the War Against Terror and more specifically, the War in Iraq itself.

Because this prisoner exchange (the German was most likely German intel working in Iraq) incontrovertibly demonstrates that Hezbollah's leadership holds sway with the Iraqi Insurgents.

And it means that we may very well see a Lebanese Militia move into Southern Lebanon to "disarm" Hezbollah (with allied support en masse, no doubt), or we may see U.S. armor roll into and/or U.S. air power roll over Southern Lebanon, or we may see Israel re-occupy Southern Lebanon (depending upon geopolitical dynamics).

Because Hezbollah's leadership is based in Southern Lebanon in a nearly autonomous region over which the Christian government in Beirut has so far been unable to exert control.

Yet.

But I suspect that they will have plenty of help in the near future.

For all of the talk about Iran and North Korea and China and Russia and this, that, and the other thing...the next big battle could very well be much closer to the current War in Iraq...in southern Lebanon.

[rip033]

Delta Force staring Chuck Norris!!!! Based on the event.

[rip033]

He can make all his plans by calling a buddy in the U.S.!

[mware]

Thanks I knew the events were similar to some movie.

Chuck Norris is a pretty right wing guy. I think he kept the scrip close to the actual events.

[Issaquahking]

Mossad, paging Mussad, Red courtesy telphone please...

[rip033]

Where's Team America when you need them?

[sheik yerbouty]

Exactly.

[sheik yerbouty]

Maybe the POS could just be made to "disappear".