2 Germans Believed Only Western Hostages Still Held

The release Wednesday of the last American hostage, journalist Terry A. Anderson, leaves German aid workers Heinrich Streubig and Thomas Kemptner as the only known remaining Western hostages still held in Lebanon.

The Germans, who are believed to be still alive, have been virtually forgotten by the German public and news media since they were seized 2 1/2 years ago. But the sudden release of the three Americans has raised awareness about them.

Chancellor Helmut Kohl met with senior aides Wednesday in Bonn to discuss the issue and Foreign Ministry officials said that “positive signs of a speedy release” had come from both Iran and Syria.

Both Germans--fresh photographs of whom were received this week--are believed to be held by members of the Hamadi clan, who have demanded the release of two of their brethren jailed in Germany.

Mohammed Ali Hamadi was jailed for life in connection with the 1985 hijacking of a TWA plane and the killing of a U.S. serviceman passenger abroad. His brother, Abbas Ali Hamadi, is serving a 13-year term for kidnaping two German businessmen, later freed, in an attempt to win his relative’s freedom.

German officials Wednesday ruled out any deal that would include the release of the Hamadi brothers.

Muslim sources previously have reported the death of Alberto Molinari, an Italian businessman who was kidnaped Sept. 11, 1985, and whom many count when figuring how many Western hostages remain in Beirut.