W. German Schray Freed by Pro-Iranian Extremists in Lebanon

Rudolf Schray, a West German who was abducted more than a month ago by pro-Iranian extremists, was freed Thursday in Lebanon.

An official at the West German Embassy in Damascus said that Schray, 30, arrived later in the Syrian capital under Syrian military escort.

In Bonn, West German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher issued a statement thanking Syria for its help in Schray’s release. The statement noted that Schray was in good condition.

Schray’s Lebanese wife, Rana, told news agencies in Beirut, as she left for Damascus, that she planned to return with her husband today. She took with her a suitcase filled with clothing for him.

Schray, an engineer with a West German chemical firm, was abducted in West Beirut on Jan. 27, coincidental with the start of the trial in West Germany of a Lebanese man charged with abducting two other West Germans in Beirut.

Although relatives of the defendant appeared to be behind Schray’s abduction, a group calling itself Holy Warriors for Freedom issued a statement Wednesday claiming responsibility for seizing Schray.

The group said it had abducted two other Germans in Lebanon, Alfred Schmidt and Rudolf Cordes, in January, 1987. Schmidt was released last September.

Linked to TWA Hijacking

A typewritten statement issued by the group said that a mediation team led by Syria “gave a chance for a new round of commitments that made the case of the German Schray head for a solution.”

The case of the Germans appears to be linked to the hijacking of a TWA jetliner in June, 1985, in which 39 Americans were held hostage in Beirut. A U.S. Navy diver was killed by the hijackers.

Mohammed Ali Hamadi, a Lebanese Shia Muslim, was indicted in the United States for murder and air piracy in connection with the hijacking. He was arrested in January, 1987, at Frankfurt airport for carrying explosives. West German authorities turned down a U.S. request that he be extradited to stand trial in the United States on charges of murder and piracy.

Hamadi’s brother, Abbas Ali Hamadi, was arrested by the West Germans on his arrival in Frankfurt and charged with arranging the abduction of the two West Germans in Beirut in order to bargain for his brother’s release.

A third Hamadi brother, Abdul-Hadi, is reported to be the head of security for Hezbollah, the pro-Iranian Party of God, which is active in Lebanon and is suspected of a number of terrorist acts.

Schray’s release leaves at least 21 foreigners still captive in Lebanon, including nine Americans.