A terrorist released: Now free to kill more Americans

Manchester Union Leader ^ | December 28, 2005 | Editorial

[billorites]

AS OFFICIALS in Arnold Schwarzenegger's hometown of Graz, Austria, busied themselves by removing every mention of the movie star and California governor from city sites because he refused to grant clemency to a convicted murderer, next door in Germany a state parole board mysteriously let go another convicted murderer. His victim was a heroic U.S. sailor.

Mohammed Ali Hammadi was convicted of killing Robert Dean Stethem, a Navy diver, during a hijacking in Beirut in 1985. A Washington Post editorial recalled a conversation Stethem had with a fellow passenger, a 16-year-old girl, after Hammadi brutally beat Stethem. . .

"He said how it may be better that he died," the girl said during the trial, according to The Post. "He believed that someone would die on the plane, someone from the Navy men (there were five other divers on the plane), and he said that because he was the only one who wasn't married, that he should be the one to die. He spoke with a clear mind . . . He didn't believe that all of us could get out alive. He felt it was fair that he dies so that the rest of us could live."

The U.S. government buried Stethem in Arlington National Cemetery and named a ship after him. The United States reportedly has attempted to have Stethem's killer extradited, but to no avail. Now he has disappeared into Lebanon, where he walks free. The Germans deny that his release has anything to do with the almost simultaneous release of a German hostage in Iraq.

Letting brutal killers - "Tookie" Williams, Mohammed Ali Hammadi, Saddam Hussein - go is the fashionable thing in Europe. Sadly, the United States is one of the few states left in the world where finding justice for those silenced by brutality remains in style.

[PeterPrinciple]

AS OFFICIALS in Arnold Schwarzenegger's hometown of Graz, Austria, busied themselves by removing every mention of the movie star and California governor from city sites because he refused to grant clemency to a convicted murderer,

Another lie from the press, they removed them because he told them to.

[rbg81]

I'm not sure I'd call it a "lie". I believe politicians in his home town were threatening to remove his name ('cause of Tookie), but he pre-empted them by asking them to take it off. I don't think he would have made the request if not for his decision on Tookie.

[Brilliant]

If the US gets their hands on this guy, the rumor will be that the Germans released him so that we could get him.

I can't wait for the Germans to respond to that rumor.

[Alberta's Child]

I think Germany is getting a lot of unwarranted criticism here, in one key respect. The German government apprehended and charged a terrorist in a case where Germany had absolutely no jurisdiction at all -- since the incident in question occurred in Lebanon on a U.S. airliner flying out of Greece. If Germany were operating under OUR legal system, this guy never would have been charged in the first place.

[son of caesar]

uh wrong answer, germany tried him on possession of explosives while attempting to board an airliner. im pretty sure it was while he was trying to get aboard a commercial flight full of people. look it up, but thats what he was convicted of. the brutal murder of an american doesnt bother germans, dont lose any sleep over that part. what is relevant here is just imagine how stethams family feels? that has to be beyond torture.

[Alberta's Child]

I think you're wrong about that. Murderers in Germany serving "life" sentences are tyically released after 15 years, so I find it highly unlikely that this guy would have served 15 years for possession of explosives.

What is relevant here is just imagine how stethams family feels?

True, but that is not relevant to the formal legal processes here. I wonder myself if the U.S. would even have had any legal basis to prosecute this case at the time, since the incident occurred in a foreign country.

[luvbach1]

It is truly the Euro-wimp way. Amazing how this malaise has affected even the "hardy and militaristic" Germans.

[YOUGOTIT]

In my opinion: The children of Hitler or maybe the children of Stalin released him as a trade to get one of their hostages back from the terrorist in Iraq. As the hostage was released at about the same time.

[son of caesar]

while the feelings of the family may not be relevant in the court proceedings, all i can say is that id gladly trade ten thousand judges, lawyers et al for one robert stetham. id call that a bargain.

[Alberta's Child]

Understood. But I'd also point out that I would gladly trade ten thousand judges, lawyers, etc. for one pile of rocks.

[son of caesar]

ok, now i like you very much.

[SQUID]

Austria trying to appease the Muslims who will soon flood into their country and take it over anyway.

[headstamp]

He also sent the commemorative ring back to them.

[Spirited]

I wonder whether Austria knows that there are Americans who will avoid their country like the plague since they evidently believe that criminals are more worthy than the innocent.

[pray4liberty]

Now, isn't this just great. /grrrr

[FreedomNeocon]

I think Germany is getting a lot of unwarranted criticism here, in one key respect. The German government apprehended and charged a terrorist in a case where Germany had absolutely no jurisdiction at all -- since the incident in question occurred in Lebanon on a U.S. airliner flying out of Greece. If Germany were operating under OUR legal system, this guy never would have been charged in the first place.


Wrong... the only reason they tried him was because of a psudo-compromise. They SHOULD have extradited him, but would not because he would face the death penalty.

Even the Germans didn't want to let him go 'scott free', so they tried him and said 'good enough?' to us.

It wasn't what we wanted, but we figured 20yrs or whatever was the best we were going to do, and he didn't even serve that. Then add in the 'coincidence' of the hostage release, and the past discretions of some of our morally weaker 'allies' like Spain, Germany, France, and to a lesser extent Italy .

No... they MOST CERTAINLY warrant any and all criticism they get on this one.

[Alberta's Child]

I'm not a lawyer, so I'd like to have someone with a legal background cite the exact statute under which this guy could have been charged in the U.S. for his crimes -- and the corresponding international treaty between the U.S. and Germany under which he could have been extradited here to face those charges.

You can criticize Germany all you'd like, but from a legal standpoint I'm not so sure the U.S. had any leg to stand on in this case.