Lebanon to Try 5 in Bombings That Killed 120

--A judge today ordered five people to stand trial in military court for bombing attacks that killed more than 120 people at the American and Iraqi embassies in Beirut, legal sources said.

The indictment was accompanied by a recommendation that the five men be sentenced to death if convicted, the sources said.

A truck packed with high explosives crashed into the waterfront U.S. Embassy on April 18, 1983, killing more than 60 people, including 17 Americans. A similar blast at the Iraqi Embassy in West Beirut on Feb. 15, 1981, killed 61 people.

All five defendants, who were not identified, were arrested weeks after the bombings and have remained in custody since.

The underground Islamic Jihad Organization claimed responsibility for the U.S. Embassy blast. An anti-Iraqi group said it caused the Iraqi Embassy bombing.

Three people were arrested in connection with the American Embassy bombing. The two others were jailed on suspicion of involvement in the attack on the Iraqi Embassy.

No Trial Date

No date was set for the trial by a military tribunal, and the identities of the five men were withheld for security reasons.

Legal sources said the action on the two cases coincided with efforts to improve Lebanon’s image after last month’s hijacking of a TWA jetliner and ensuing hostage drama.

The central government has already ordered an investigation into the hijacking and imposed new security measures at Beirut airport to prevent air piracy.