Abu Nidal Gets Life Sentence in Absentia
A court today convicted fugitive terrorist leader Abu Nidal and two of his Palestinian followers in the 1985 massacre at Rome’s airport that left 16 people dead and more than 80 injured.
The court sentenced Abu Nidal and fellow fugitive defendant Rashid Hamieda in absentia to life imprisonment. It sentenced the third defendant, Mahmoud Ibrahim Khaled, the only one in Italian custody, to 30 years in prison.
The 20-year-old Khaled was the sole survivor of a four-man attack team that struck at Leonardo da Vinci airport with bombs and automatic rifle fire on Dec. 27, 1985. The 16 dead included three terrorists.
A nearly simultaneous attack at Vienna’s airport attributed to Abu Nidal’s followers killed four people and left 47 wounded.
Abu Nidal and Hamieda did not take part in the attacks. Abu Nidal was accused of masterminding them while Hamieda, one of Abu Nidal’s top aides, was accused of coordinating the Rome attack.
Court-appointed lawyers for both Abu Nidal and Hamieda said they would appeal the verdict, while Khaled’s attorney, Epifanio Ales, said he would consider an appeal.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
