Omar Rezaq
Encyclopedia
Omar Mohammed Ali Rezaq is the only surviving hijacker of EgyptAir Flight 648
. He was a member of Abu Nidal
. The plane was hijacked by a group of three people. The remaining two hijackers were killed, either in in-flight shooting with a sky-marshal or after Egypt
ian commando
s stormed the hijacked plane.
Omar Rezaq had given his name as Omar Marzouki and used a Tunisia
n passport when boarding that plane at Athens
airport, but later he admitted that he is of Palestinian
origin and that he was born in Lebanon
in 1963.
During hours of negotiations at Luqa
airport in Malta
, five passengers were shot - three of them survived. On November 24, 1985, Egyptian commandos set explosives that ignited a fire, suffocating many of the passengers. Rezaq was wounded in a subsequent shootout (his left lung was pierced by a bullet), but recovered and was arraigned in court on December 12, 1986. Preliminary inquiry lasted until April 3, 1987 and on November 2, 1988 Rezaq was arraigned in court and he pleaded guilty to seven of nine charges against him. These were the illegal arrest of crew and passengers, the death of Nitzan Mendelson and of Scarlett Marie Rogenkamp, the attempted killing of Methad Mustafa Kamal, Patrick Scott Baker, Jacqueline Nink Pflug and Tamar Artzi, and with the illegal possession of arms and explosives. Nevertheless, the former two charges were later withdrawn. Rezaq was sentenced to the full 25 years less the years and months he had already spent in prison. On appeal, the same sentence was confirmed on April 20, 1989.
Rezaq however served only seven years in Malta and was released. As a free man under an assumed name, he went to Accra
, Ghana
and remained there until July 1993.
Rezaq he flew to Lagos
, Nigeria
and was arrested there in July 1993, and was extraordinary rendition
ed by FBI agents, who flew him to the United States
.
On July 19, 1996 after a month-long trial Rezaq was sentenced to life in prison on a single count of air piracy. U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth
, who sentenced him, recommended that any request for parole made after the 10-year period should be rejected. An appeal was rejected on February 6, 1998.
EgyptAir Flight 648
EgyptAir Flight 648 was a Boeing 737-200 airliner, registered SU-AYH, hijacked on November 23, 1985 by the terrorist organization Abu Nidal. The subsequent raid on the aircraft by Egyptian troops resulted in dozens of deaths, making the hijacking of Flight 648 one of the deadliest such incidents in...
. He was a member of Abu Nidal
Abu Nidal
Abu Nidal , born Sabri Khalil al-Banna , was the founder of Fatah–The Revolutionary Council , a militant Palestinian group more commonly known as the Abu Nidal Organization...
. The plane was hijacked by a group of three people. The remaining two hijackers were killed, either in in-flight shooting with a sky-marshal or after Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian commando
Commando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
s stormed the hijacked plane.
Omar Rezaq had given his name as Omar Marzouki and used a Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
n passport when boarding that plane at Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
airport, but later he admitted that he is of Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
origin and that 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 1963.
During hours of negotiations at Luqa
Luqa
Ħal Luqa is a village located in the south east of Malta. It is an old town that has a dense population, typical of the Maltese Islands. The population of Ħal Luqa is 6,028 . There is a church in its main square dedicated to St. Andrew. The traditional feast of St...
airport in Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, five passengers were shot - three of them survived. On November 24, 1985, Egyptian commandos set explosives that ignited a fire, suffocating many of the passengers. Rezaq was wounded in a subsequent shootout (his left lung was pierced by a bullet), but recovered and was arraigned in court on December 12, 1986. Preliminary inquiry lasted until April 3, 1987 and on November 2, 1988 Rezaq was arraigned in court and he pleaded guilty to seven of nine charges against him. These were the illegal arrest of crew and passengers, the death of Nitzan Mendelson and of Scarlett Marie Rogenkamp, the attempted killing of Methad Mustafa Kamal, Patrick Scott Baker, Jacqueline Nink Pflug and Tamar Artzi, and with the illegal possession of arms and explosives. Nevertheless, the former two charges were later withdrawn. Rezaq was sentenced to the full 25 years less the years and months he had already spent in prison. On appeal, the same sentence was confirmed on April 20, 1989.
Rezaq however served only seven years in Malta and was released. As a free man under an assumed name, he went to Accra
Accra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
, Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
and remained there until July 1993.
Rezaq he flew to Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
and was arrested there in July 1993, and was extraordinary rendition
Extraordinary rendition
Extraordinary rendition is the abduction and illegal transfer of a person from one nation to another. "Torture by proxy" is used by some critics to describe situations in which the United States and the United Kingdom have transferred suspected terrorists to other countries in order to torture the...
ed by FBI agents, who flew him to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
On July 19, 1996 after a month-long trial Rezaq was sentenced to life in prison on a single count of air piracy. U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth
Royce C. Lamberth
Royce C. Lamberth is a federal judge in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, serving as its Chief Judge....
, who sentenced him, recommended that any request for parole made after the 10-year period should be rejected. An appeal was rejected on February 6, 1998.