Achille Lauro Fugitive Arrested

West German police have arrested one of six Arabs sentenced to prison in absentia for their part in the hijacking of the Achille Lauro cruise ship, police in Rome and West Berlin said today.

Police identified the man as Ahmad Yusuf Saad, 23, a Palestinian born in Lebanon, whom prosecutors in the Achille Lauro trial called the “official paymaster” of the operation. A West Berlin police spokesman said Saad was arrested there Tuesday but gave no other details. The Genoa court on July 10 sentenced Saad to 6 1/2 years in prison plus a fine of $1,333.