Three Decades Since the Panama Bombing: The Hezbollah Connection and [Maicao's] Ali Zaki’s Extradition

SFS ^ | Apr 20, 2026

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Three Decades Since the Panama Bombing: The Hezbollah Connection and Ali Zaki’s Extradition José Gustavo Arocha José Gustavo Arocha April 20, 2026

SFS Home Research Three Decades Since the Panama Bombing: The Hezbollah Connection and Ali Zaki’s Extradition Share EXPERT Three Decades Since the Panama Bombing: The Hezbollah Connection and Ali Zaki’s Extradition José Gustavo Arocha Senior Fellow Meet our expert

KEY POINTS On April 20, 2026, Ali Zaki Hage Jalil arrived in Panama after Venezuela approved his extradition in connection with the 1994 bombing of Alas Chiricanas Flight 901, marking the most significant breakthrough in the case in three decades. Flight 901 was bombed on July 19, 1994, one day after the AMIA attack in Buenos Aires. All 21 people on board were killed, including Panamanian Jewish passengers, U.S. citizens, and Israeli nationals. U.S. intelligence attributed the attack in Panama to Hezbollah as part of the same operational wave. Panamanian prosecutors allege that Hage Jalil helped organize the operation, including the procurement of explosive materials under false identities. At the same time, Ali Hawa Jamal carried the bomb aboard and died in the blast. The case only regained momentum after Israeli intelligence shared new evidence with Panama in 2017; President Juan Carlos Varela later confirmed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had personally transmitted the material. Venezuelan authorities had long functioned, in practice, as a shield for Hage Jalil. The extradition became possible only after the Venezuelan court accepted that Ali Hage’s 2005 naturalization was obtained fraudulently to evade Panamanian justice. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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TOPICS: Hezbollah; Iran; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 1994; 199407; 19940719; 2005; 2017; 202604; alaschiricanas; alihawajamal; alizaki; alizakihagejalil; amiabombing; bombplots; flight901; hagejalil; hezbollah; jalil; maicao; margaritaisland; panama; terrorism; venezuela

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Maicao (Col.) and Margarita (Ven.) have been a Hamas/Hezbollah terror hub for decades via dirty money. Dominated by Arab Muslim merchants children of immigrants