Italian Minister of Justice Announces Intent to Request Extradition of Abu Abbas

The Italian Minister of Justice stated today that Italy intends to seek the extradition of Abu Abbas, a Palestinian terrorist and the main architect of the hijacking of the Italian ship Achille Lauro in 1995. Abu Abbas was captured late Monday during U.S. special forces operations in Baghdad. In this operation, several of his aides were also taken captive, and a number of weapons and documents were seized. An Italian court, in absentia, has sentenced Abu Abbas to five life sentences for orchestrating the hijacking of the Achille Lauro and the murder of an American passenger on board. Meanwhile, Saeb Erekat, a minister in the Palestinian Authority, emphasized that the arrest of Abu Abbas violates the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinians, calling for his release. According to the Oslo Accords, those members of the Palestine Liberation Organization who committed violent acts before 1993 are granted amnesty. In Washington, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense stated that the U.S. is reviewing legal issues related to the arrest of Abu Abbas and has not yet made a decision on the matter.