Hijacker spared death sentence

WASHINGTON — The leader of a group of Palestinian terrorists who took over a Pan Am Boeing 747 in Pakistan in 1986 and killed 22 people won’t face the death penalty under a plea bargain disclosed Wednesday.

The deal involving Zayd Hassan Abd Al-Latif Masud Al Safarini was announced during a hearing Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan. Details are to remain secret until a hearing on Dec. 16 that victims and their relatives will be invited to attend, Sullivan said.

Safarini, wearing an orange prison jump suit, sat with an interpreter in the courtroom and said "Yes" when asked by Sullivan if he was satisfied with his lawyer.

Prosecutors and defense lawyers declined to comment on the plea bargain, citing the court order. However, as part of the deal, prosecutors are expected to drop their appeal of an earlier Sullivan ruling that the death penalty cannot be applied in this case.

Safarini’s case was the first in which federal prosecutors had sought the death penalty for a hijacker.

Sullivan ruled April 10 that at the time Safarini and three other members of the Abu Nidal Palestinian terrorist organization took over the Pan Am jet there was no federal law calling for the death penalty in air piracy cases.

Court papers say Safarini led the group who boarded the plane while it was parked at Karachi Airport in Pakistan on Sept. 5, 1986. The men said they wanted to be flown out of Pakistan and demanded that prisoners in Cyprus and Israel be released.

After a 15-hour standoff, the hijackers gathered the passengers and crew in one area of the plane and began shooting and throwing hand grenades. In all, 22 people were killed, including two Americans, and more than 100 wounded before the men were apprehended.

The four hijackers, and a fifth mastermind, were convicted in Pakistan and given death sentences that were commuted to life imprisonment.

Four of the terrorists remain behind bars, but Safarini was released Sept. 27, 2001, after his sentence was reduced by a series of amnesties. U.S. law enforcement agents caught him the next day as he traveled to Jordan to join relatives.

The Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, but it took Congress 12 years to write a new death penalty law, making some drug-related crimes capital offenses. Dozens of other crimes, including air piracy, were added in 1994.

Copyright ©2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Talk to us

More in Local News

Chap Grubb, founder and CEO of second-hand outdoor gear store Rerouted, stands inside his new storefront on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in Gold Bar, Washington. Rerouted began as an entirely online shop that connected buyers and sellers of used gear.  (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Used outdoor gear shop Rerouted finds a niche in Gold Bar

Seeking to keep good outdoor gear out of landfills, an online reselling business has put down roots in Gold Bar.

Naval Station Everett. (Chuck Taylor / Herald file)
Everett man sentenced to 6 years for cyberstalking ex-wife

Christopher Crawford, 42, was found guilty of sending intimate photos of his ex-wife to adult websites and to colleagues in the Navy.

Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers speaks to the crowd during an opening ceremony at the new PAE2 Amazon Fulfillment Center on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, in Arlington, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Snohomish County executive pitches $1.66B budget

Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers announced his proposed budget Tuesday afternoon. Public comment is slated to begin Oct. 10.

Mt. Baker visible from the summit of Mt. Dickerman on a late summer day in 2017. (Caleb Hutton / The Herald)
Hornets pester hikers on popular Mountain Loop trails

“You cannot out run the stings,” one hiker wrote in a trip report. The Forest Service has posted alerts at two trailheads.

A view of a 6 parcel, 4.4 acre piece of land in Edmonds, south of Edmonds-Woodway High School on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Housing authority seeks more property in Edmonds

The Housing Authority of Snohomish County doesn’t have specific plans for land near 80th Avenue West, if its offer is accepted.

Nursing Administration Supervisor Susan Williams points at a list of current COVID patients at Providence Regional Medical Center on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Dozens of Providence patients in medical limbo for months, even years

About 100 people are stuck in Everett hospital beds without an urgent medical reason. New laws aim for a solution.

Emergency responders surround an ultralight airplane that crashed Friday, Sept. 22, 2023, at the Arlington Municipal Airport in Arlington, Washington, resulting in the pilot's death. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Pilot dead in ultralight plane crash at Arlington Municipal Airport

There were no other injuries or fatalities reported, a city spokesperson said.

One of Snohomish County PUD’s new smart readers is installed at a single family home Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in Mill Creek, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
PUD program seeks to make energy grid smarter for 380K customers

The public utility’s ConnectUp program will update 380,000 electric meters and 23,000 water meters in the next few years.

Marysville
Water main break cuts off faucets in Tulalip neighborhood

Once service is restored, Tulalip residents should boil their water for a minute before use or use bottled water.

Most Read