Hamadi Confesses to TWA Hijacking but Denies Killing
Lebanese defendant Mohammed Ali Hamadi confessed Tuesday that he helped hijack a TWA jetliner to Beirut in 1985, but he denied killing U.S. Navy diver Robert D. Stethem, one of the 153 passengers and crew on board.
In a statement read in court, Hamadi said the four hijackers were trying to force the release of about 700 Lebanese Shia Muslims imprisoned in Israel.
Hamadi’s surprise confession was read on the last day of proceedings before the trial went into a monthlong summer recess. Judge Heiner Mueckenberger said the confession marked a “turning point” in the trial.
Hamadi said a man he identified as Hassan Izaldin was in charge of the hijacking and shot Stethem.
Most of the captives aboard the plane were released shortly after the hijacking, but 39 Americans were held captive for 17 days.
Hamadi is being tried on charges of air piracy and murder, and the U.S. government also has indicted him on the same charges.
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.
