Italy Arrests 6th Suspect in Hijacking
Italian authorities arrested another Palestinian in the Achille Lauro hijacking on charges he provided a false passport to one of the four hijackers of the cruise ship, police said Friday.
The new arrest raises to six the number of suspects in custody for the two-day hijacking, which began Oct. 7.
The Palestinian was arrested in Rome a “few days ago” and sent to a jail in Genoa for questioning, police sources who asked not to be identified said.
The sources said police arrested the suspect at a camping ground in the northern outskirts of Rome on the basis of information provided by the four jailed hijackers of the Achille Lauro.
The Palestinian is suspected, among other things, of having provided one of the hijackers with the false passport he used to board the cruise liner, the sources said.
They said another Palestinian described as an official of the Palestine Liberation Organization, arrested 10 days ago and convicted for carrying false documents, also is being questioning in Genoa about the hijacking.
News of the latest arrest came as the United States asked Italy to allow U.S. investigators to attend the interrogation of the four Palestinians who hijacked the ship, legal authorities said.
The authorities said the Italian Justice Ministry received the formal request and is likely to give a favorable response.
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