U.S. trumpets capture of Palestinian as proof that Hussein’s regime actively supported terrorism. For 17 years, he was among the world’s most wanted men. But now that he’s been caught, terrorist leader Abu Abbas is no less in demand. The Palestinians want to see him freed. Many Americans want him tried as a murderer. Italy wants him behind bars as a convicted criminal. And Israel may yet want him for decades of guerrilla tactics. The international struggle for Abu Abbas erupted yesterday just hours after U.S. Special Forces nabbed him in an overnight commando raid in suburban Baghdad, where he has lived under the protection of Saddam Hussein for the past decade. Abu Abbas, as head of the Palestinian Liberation Front, was tried and convicted in absentia in Italy for his role in the 1985 hijacking of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro. He allegedly oversaw the operation, which included the killing of American passenger Leon Klinghoffer, off the coast of Egypt. Palestinian officials were first off the mark yesterday, insisting Abu Abbas is immune from prosecution under the Oslo peace agreements. The accords gave immunity to terrorists who renunciated violence, which over the years he has said he would. Full Story
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