Lebanon Captors Release Photo of Anderson, Threaten Action

A Lebanese terrorist group released a picture of captive American Terry A. Anderson on Thursday and threatened the United States and Germany with “drastic consequences” unless two Lebanese held in German prisons are released.

The Shiite Muslim group calling itself Islamic Jihad sent a 1 1/2-page Arabic statement and a photo of Anderson to the Reuters news agency bureau in West Beirut. Anderson, one of six Americans believed held hostage in Lebanon, looked gaunt and grim.

There was nothing to indicate whether the black and white photo was recent. A photographer who works in Beirut and has seen all photos and videotapes released by Anderson’s captors expressed the belief that the photo released Thursday was not a recent one.

The statement made no direct mention of Anderson, chief Middle East correspondent of the Associated Press, who was kidnaped in March, 1985, or of Thomas Sutherland, acting dean of the school of agriculture at the American University of Beirut, who was abducted in June of the same year and is believed held by the same group. The two are the longest-held Western hostages.

“Continued mistreatment of our detained brothers will bring drastic consequences,” said the statement delivered Thursday, the first received from Islamic Jihad since October, 1989. “There should be quick work to preserve their lives and safety, and they should be released immediately.”

The group said the two Lebanese brothers, Mohammed Hamadi and Abbas Ali Hamadi, had been subjected to assassination attempts as well as physical and psychological torture in Germany.

Mohammed Hamadi, arrested in 1987, was ordered imprisoned for life in 1989 after being convicted of murder and air piracy in the 1985 hijacking of a Trans World Airlines jetliner to Beirut. A U.S. Navy diver was killed during the hijacking.

Abbas Ali Hamadi was sentenced to 13 years in 1988 for involvement in the kidnaping in Lebanon of two German businessmen in a failed attempt to force the German government to release his brother.