4 Protesters Disrupt Liner Hijacking Trial

Pandemonium broke out today at the opening of the trial of three Palestinians accused of hijacking the Italian liner Achille Lauro and murdering an American passenger when four young West Germans launched a noisy protest.

The protesters, sitting in the public gallery, rose to their feet with arms raised in a clenched-fist salute, and the one woman among them started to read a statement in English supporting the Palestinian cause.

Plainclothes police and uniformed paramilitary carabinieri in the gallery quickly overpowered the demonstrators, aged from 23 to 31, and carried them screaming and kicking from the courtroom.

Police said the court president will decide whether the West Germans should be charged with any offense.

In Defendants’ Cages

The three alleged hijackers--Youssef Magid Molki, Ibrahim Abdelatif, and Ahmed Assadi, who face charges ranging from the murder of Leon Klinghoffer to mass kidnaping--and two alleged accomplices, Mohammed Abbas and Said Gandura, spent the six-hour court session in defendants’ cages.

Palestinian guerrilla leader Abul Abbas and nine other defendants, including a Greek citizen, Floros Petros, are fugitives from justice and are being tried in absentia.

As the trial opened amid heavy security, the court added Petros’ name to the list of defendants while a Palestinian, Ismael Youssef, was removed because of lack of evidence.