Greek Government Releases Seven Arab Terrorists Who Had Been Sentenced to Prison

Seven Arab terrorists sentenced to prison terms for terrorist activities in Greece against Israeli citizens and property were released today despite the objections of the Israeli government, according to reports from Athens. The Greek government had pledged their release last month after six other Arab terrorists had seized an Olympic Airways Boeing 727 and held its five-man crew and 53 passengers as hostages. After releasing the passengers, the terrorists few to Cairo with the crew and a representative of the International Red Cross. They were greeted at the Cairo airport by President Gamal Abdel Nasser and given a hero’s welcome. The released terrorists were Mahmoud Mohammed, 25, a teacher, and Maher Hussein Suleiman, 30, both Palestinians, sentenced to 17 and 14 years respectively for willful manslaughter and illegal possession and use of arms in an attack on El Al’s Athens office; Miss Maha Khalil, 22, a teacher, and Issam Dumit, 18, and Sami Abud, 20, both students, all of Lebanon, sentenced to two years for illegal possession of arms and explosives in connection with an attack on an El Al plane; and two Jordanians, Elias Der-Garbedian, 22, a tailor, and Mansour Mourad Zugsghe, 21, a student, sentenced to 18 years and four months and 11 years and three months on conviction for willful manslaughter and illegal use and possession of explosives in an attack on the El Al office.