U.S. Offers Big Reward for Abbas

The United States offered a $250,000 reward Monday for information leading to the arrest, conviction and punishment of Palestinian leader Abul Abbas and anyone else who may have been involved in the hijacking of the cruise ship Achille Lauro.

State Department spokesman Charles Redman, who announced the offer, said the government will protect the identity of informants.

Under a 1984 law, the secretary of state can offer rewards as high as $500,000 for the capture and conviction of terrorists. Redman declined to say why the reward in the Achille Lauro hijacking is only half the maximum.

“Those with information in the United States should notify the FBI or the diplomatic security service of the Department of State,” Redman said. “Those with information in any other country should notify the nearest U.S. embassy.”

Left Italy Anyway

Abbas, considered the mastermind of the Oct. 7 hijacking, was taken into custody by Italian authorities after U.S. F-14s forced the EgyptAir jet in which he was a passenger to land in Sicily. However, he was permitted to leave the country despite a U.S. extradition request.

The same EgyptAir jet was burned out Sunday after it was hijacked from Athens to Malta, where, after almost a day’s siege, it was stormed by Egyptian soldiers.

Several other Palestinians, captured with Abbas aboard the airliner, were convicted in Italy last week of firearms violations and are waiting trial on murder, hijacking and other charges stemming from the seizing of the cruise liner.

Abbas has been accused of planning the hijacking in which the crew and passengers were held hostage and one of the Americans aboard, Leon Klinghoffer, was killed.

Redman said the full reward will be paid only if the information leads directly to Abbas’ capture. However, he said, lesser rewards might be paid for less crucial information.