Fawaz Younis
Encyclopedia
Fawaz Younis also called Fawaz Yunis and Nazeeh, is a Lebanese hijacker
who was arrested and imprisoned by the United States. He was later deported after serving sixteen years of his sentence.
He was born in Lebanon
in 1959 and became an Amal Movement
militiaman and then a part of Hezbollah. On June 11, 1985, he led a team that hijacked Royal Jordanian
Flight 402 with four American nationals on board. The Jordanian airliner was sitting on the tarmac at Beirut International Airport when it was stormed by Younis' team. After a 13-hour siege, the hijackers released the 70 passengers and blew up the plane. Younis appeared on television as a spokesman for the hijackers.
In September 1987, Younis was lured aboard a yacht in international waters off Cyprus
with promises of a drug deal, arrested by the FBI, and flown to Andrews Air Force Base. He was the first person charged under the new federal hostage-taking statute that gave the U.S. jurisdiction over terrorist acts overseas involving American citizens. He was sentenced to 30 years in a U.S. federal prison.
Fawaz Younis was released by the U.S. government on February 18, 2005 and deported to Lebanon in March 2005 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement
, a sub-department of the Homeland Security Department, after serving sixteen years of sentence.
Aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. In most cases, the pilot is forced to fly according to the orders of the hijackers. Occasionally, however, the hijackers have flown the aircraft themselves, such as the September 11 attacks of 2001...
who was arrested and imprisoned by the United States. He was later deported after serving sixteen years of his sentence.
He was born in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
in 1959 and became an Amal Movement
Amal Movement
Amal Movement is short for the Lebanese Resistance Detachments the acronym for which, in Arabic, is "amal", meaning "hope."Amal was founded in 1975 as the militia wing of the Movement of the Disinherited, a Shi'a political movement founded by Musa...
militiaman and then a part of Hezbollah. On June 11, 1985, he led a team that hijacked Royal Jordanian
Royal Jordanian
Royal Jordanian Airlines is the flag carrier of Jordan with its head office in Amman, Jordan, operating scheduled international services over four continents from its main base at Queen Alia International Airport at Amman Jordan. Royal Jordanian is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization...
Flight 402 with four American nationals on board. The Jordanian airliner was sitting on the tarmac at Beirut International Airport when it was stormed by Younis' team. After a 13-hour siege, the hijackers released the 70 passengers and blew up the plane. Younis appeared on television as a spokesman for the hijackers.
Rendition
The comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984 created a new section in the U.S. Criminal Code for Hostage Taking and The Omnibus Diplomatic Security And Antiterrorism Act of 1986 established a new extraterritorial statute pertaining to terrorist acts conducted abroad against U.S. citizens and interests. Upon approval by the host country, the FBI has the legal authority to deploy FBI personnel to conduct extraterritorial investigations in the host country where the criminal act has been committed, enabling the United States to prosecute terrorists for crimes committed against U.S. citizens.In September 1987, Younis was lured aboard a yacht in international waters off Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
with promises of a drug deal, arrested by the FBI, and flown to Andrews Air Force Base. He was the first person charged under the new federal hostage-taking statute that gave the U.S. jurisdiction over terrorist acts overseas involving American citizens. He was sentenced to 30 years in a U.S. federal prison.
Fawaz Younis was released by the U.S. government on February 18, 2005 and deported to Lebanon in March 2005 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security , responsible for identifying, investigating, and dismantling vulnerabilities regarding the nation's border, economic, transportation, and infrastructure security...
, a sub-department of the Homeland Security Department, after serving sixteen years of sentence.