...The feeling of betrayal by the German government, our supposed ally, is overwhelming. Commutation of a convicted murderer's sentence is bad enough, but to grant him safe passage back to his native country is unconscionable. For 20 years, this family has had to live with the knowledge that the other three terrorists associated with the hijacking remain at large. Ali Atwa, Hasan Izz-al-Din, and Imad Mughniyah have, with the assistance of rogue nations, consistently eluded capture.

Hamadi was arrested in 1987 in what was then West Germany for possession of liquid explosives in Frankfurt airport. Chancellor Kohl denied President Reagan's requests for extradition. The United States was assured, however, of the strictest of sentences contingent upon conviction. The trial began in July of 1988. The West German government spent millions of dollars related to security for this trial. They certainly considered Hezbollah enough of a threat to spend an exorbitant amount of money for security. In May of 1989, Hamadi was found guilty of air piracy and the murder of Robert Stethem. He was also found guilty of possession of liquid explosives in West Germany. This man is a dangerous criminal. Germany has released an obvious threat back into the world. Hamadi is in his early 40s; he has plenty of years left to wreak havoc. It's beyond belief.

There is no reason that can be given that will suffice. There is no reason that can be given that will satisfy the question as to why such a threat to humanity would be released at all, not to mention prior to serving his full term. The release of Hamadi has denied Rob's parents and siblings their sliver of peace in the knowledge that Rob's brutal killer is, at the very least, incarcerated. The German government has turned a blind eye to the long-standing agreement with the U.S. that should Hamadi be released an extradition would occur. Or, at the very least, the stage would be set, ally-to-ally, for a rendition...