Italian Court Gives Reason for Sentence in Achille Lauro Case

A panel of Italian judges said Tuesday that they imposed a 30-year murder sentence--instead of the maximum life in prison--to an Arab hijacker of the Achille Lauro cruise ship because he was bred for violence in Palestinian refugee camps.

The justification for the sentence--which was criticized as too light--was contained in a 180-page document issued by the Genoa Assize Court and called a “motivation.” Italian law requires such a document in all major cases.

The document was issued three months after the court sentenced Youssef Molki, 24, for the slaying of New Yorker Leon Klinghoffer, 69, aboard the Italian cruise ship off the coast of Egypt.

Four Arabs commandeered the ocean liner with 511 passengers and crew Oct. 7, 1985, and held it for three days, threatening to blow it up, before negotiating a release with Egyptian officials.

In Molki’s case, the judges cited mitigating circumstances including a retracted confession for the crime and his background as a “Palestinian refugee passed from one military camp to another and ending up (still at a very young age) in a ‘suicide unit.’ ”

Abul Abbas was later convicted in absentia of masterminding the hijacking and sentenced to life in prison. Besides Molki, the three other hijackers and a number of associates received sentences ranging from 15 to 30 years.