Help Us Bring Robert Stethem's Murderers to Justice
The Long Arm of the Law
Please Help Us Bring Robert Stethem’s Murderers to Justice
01/05/06
Eighteen years ago this month, Mohammed Ali Hamadei was arrested at the Frankfurt airport in Germany for his part in the hijacking of TWA Flight 847 and in the cold blooded murder of U.S. Navy diver Robert Stethem, who was summarily executed on the airliner and thrown onto the tarmac of Beirut airport.
Today he and his fellow Hizballah collaborators are all at large—and we ask for your assistance in locating them for trial in the United States.
Remembering the crime. It was June 14, 1985, when, during a routine flight from Athens to Rome, TWA 847 was hijacked by two terrorists brandishing grenades and pistols. Over a horrific 17 days, TWA pilot John Testrake was forced to crisscross the Mediterranean with his 153 passengers and crew members, from Beirut to Algiers and back again, landing in Beirut three times before he was finally allowed to stop. The terrorists had tied passengers up and were beating them, threatening to kill them unless hundreds of Lebanese were released from Israeli prisons.
It was on June 15, during the first stop in Beirut, that the restrained 23-year-old Robert Stethem of Waldorf, Maryland, was severely beaten by Hamadei and his accomplice; was dragged to the opened aircraft door; was shot point blank in the head; and tossed out onto the runways.
Who is Hamadei? Take a close look at the photographs, taken in 2004 and 2005, of Mohammed Ali Hamadei (aka Ali Hamadi and Castro). He is now 41 years old, a Lebanese citizen with black hair and dark brown eyes, weighs 150 pounds, and has a mole on his right cheek below the eye.
As for his case history: he was indicted on 11/14/1985, Interpol Red Notice Control Number A-562/12-1985, reference #19890604066, and a reward of $250,000 each was offered for information leading to his and his accomplices’ arrests and convictions. He was arrested in the Frankfurt airport on January 13, 1987, carrying explosives in his luggage. The U.S. sought extradition, but the Federal Republic of Germany decided to prosecute Hamadei in Germany and, on May 17, 1989, convicted him of murder, hostage taking, assault, and hijacking. Hamadei was sentenced to life in prison. On 12/15/2005, however, he was released from custody and returned to Beirut, Lebanon, on 12/16/2005.
Be On the Look Out. We ask for your assistance in locating Mohammed Ali Hamadei and also in locating his accomplices. Information on Imad Fayez Mugniyah, Hasan Izz-Al-Din and Ali Atwa can be found on our Most Wanted Terrorists list and a reward of $5 million for each is offered for information leading directly to their apprehension or conviction.
If you have any information at all concerning these men, we urge you to please use our Submit A Tip form...contact your local field office...or contact your closest American Embassy or Consulate.
Note: The individuals pictured or identified here may have been apprehended or may no longer be wanted by law enforcement since the above information was posted on this website. Please check our Wanted by the FBI website or contact your local FBI office for up-to-date information.