European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 05, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 4 the stars and stripes thursday october 1989 jordanian plane s Hijacker sentenced Washington a a lebanese Hijacker lured into . Custody was sentenced wednesday to 30 years in Federal prison for comand caring a jordanian air liner in 1985 and holding its Crew and passengers hostage for 30 hours. . District court judge aubre Robinson sentenced Fawaz Younis to 30 years in prison Tor taking hostages 20years for aircraft piracy and five years for conspiracy. The sentences arc to run concurrently. Robinson could have imposed a term of life imprisonment but he noted that no one on the plane was killed. He said however that a lengthy prison term is required because time will never wipe out what is in the minds of the Passen Gers and Crew subjected to the hijacking. Younis who has spent the past two years in custody could be eligible for parole in eight cars . Attorney Jay Stephens said after the sentencing. Stephens said that the term is fair and substantial and that it sends a Clear message to people who would engage in acts of International at his sentencing the convicted Hijacker asked the judge for leniency say ing he is not a terrorist and that retreated the two americans aboard the Airliner As Younis was convicted March 14 of storming the jordanian Airliner in Bei rut Lebanon with four other gunmen and holding the 70 passengers and Crew hostage for 30 hours. All aboard including two americans were freed before the plane was blown up. In 1987, Younis was lured aboard yacht in the Mediterranean on the pre text of a drug Deal and grabbed by under cover Fri agents. . Officials have hailed the Case As a Strong signal that the United states will take whatever step necessary to Deal with terrorists. Younis was found innocent of threat ening violence against passengers destroying a civilian aircraft and carrying explosive devices aboard the plane. Why does the american government want to depict me As a terrorist and be Lieve that 1 am a threat to it Youni asked in a letter to the judge last week. He said there is a huge difference Between me and those others involved in terrorism. Younis. A member of he amal move ment said he was instructed by his superiors to Hijack an aircraft and Fly it to Tunis Tunisia where a meeting of Arab league representatives was in Progress. During the hijacking he read a Decla ration demanding the league decide that one Arab nation allow All palestinians to Settle in the country and that palestini ans be removed from Lebanon. The thorny problem for this court i that or. Younis has previously slated and continues to believe that his actions were political in nature his lawyer Francis Carter said in court papers. In a memo to the judge last week . Attorney s office said Younis was one of the members of amal who Hel american hostages in Beirut in connection with the hijacking of Twa flight847, Days after the hijacking of the Jor Danian Airliner. In the Twa hijacking Navy diver Robert Stethem was murdered. Younis admitted he had been Amon the first to enter the Twa Airliner when it landed at Beirut International Airport said the government s sentencing memo. Carter said Hezbollah terrorists no the amal movement hijacked the Twa plane. The amal at the request or . Government worked to negotiate the release of the hostages taking custody of some to prevent All the passengers and Crew from falling into the hands of Hezbollah Carter said. No one from the amal movement was aboard the plane when. Stethem was killed Carter said. N.j., citing corruption seizes Jersey City schools Trenton . A the state of new Jersey seized control of Jersey City s schools wednesday charging that the 28,000-Studcnt Urban system is academically bankrupt and Rife with corruption mismanagement and patronage. The state Board of education gave final approval tothe takeover and appointed Elena j. Scambio to a three year term As superintendent. Under new Jersey takeover Law the state has five years to make improvements. The move gives the state extraordinary Powers i Jersey City the state s second largest District and the first to be taken Over by the state. Scambio can fire administrators abolish the local Board of education and set policy. Wednesday s decision was expected and ends a Lon process that was strongly pushed by nov. Thomas h. Can who has billed himself the education Scambio who will give up her Job As Essex count schools superintendent has vowed to make Jersey City a National Model of Urban education. Robert a. Woodruff vice president of the state education Board Reading a Resolution said that the District s problems were deep rooted and Jersey City Board of education totally failed to meet its there arc severe Long standing deep rooted deficiencies permeating All aspects of the school system the Resolution said. The state had cited political intrusion in hiring poorest scores failure to provide a Safe and clean Environ ment violations of bidding Laws failure to provide for handicapped children and unauthorized use of funds. The idea of takeover docs not come easily to me said education commissioner Saul Cooperman. I be always believed the role of the stale department is to help others help National education groups say they will closely Monitor the takeover. Sex Navy Pilot linked to bombing of Rogers Van los Angeles a an sex Navy Pilot is under investigation in the bomb ing of a Van driven by the wife of Navy capt. Will Rogers Iii but said he in t responsible for the act the los Angel Stimes reported wednesday. I did t do it and i Don t know who digit said h. George Marxmiller a Commer Cial Pilot for Eastern airlines who now live sin Lake of conc a. But they suspect i know who did it. Yet to think i would do something like this is utter nonsense. It s so out of character. It does t the interview was conducted earlier this week in Georgia the newspaper said. As stopper of the guided missile Cruiser Vincennes Rogers gave the july 1988 order to shoot Down what turned out to bean iranian jetliner. Alt 290 people aboard the plane were killed. Rogers later was exonerated on grounds he had reason to believe his ship was under attack As it patrolled the per Sian Gulf during the Iran Inq conflict. Investigators originally believed the March 10 bombing of Rogers Van in san Diego was done by terrorists in Retalia Tion for the attack. Rogers wife Sharon narrowly escape injury when the pipe bomb planted in the Van exploded at a Busy intersection. Federal investigators changed their thinking on the Case when Marxmiller s name emerged the times said. It reported that multiple sources had confirmed that Marxmiller is now the Lead ing individual under investigation in therase. The special agent in charge of the of bin san Diego has refused to comment on the investigation. Marxmiller and Rogers said they had met Only once several years ago and that they had not seen each other since. I dimly remember the Guy Rogers said. I have no idea Why he would be involved in this thing. And i have soother Marxmiller adamantly denied Havinga vendetta against Rogers or a desire to Hurt him or his family. I Don t have anything against the Guy he said. Marxmiller said he had taken two polygraph tests since the summer an was asked whether he was involved in the bombing. Marxmiller said he believed he tailed question in the second test about whether he had planned the bombing or knew who placed the bomb under the Van. United Jet dumps fuel Over Chicago suburb Chicago a a United airlines Jet preparing for an emergency Landing at o Harc International Airport dumped 330 Gallons of fuel Over a sub Urb spraying a group of children and a car lot. The Boeing 727 carrying 83 people returned an landed safely at o Harc tuesday after a faulty air duct activated a fire warning Light on Takeoff Lor Salt Lake City. No evidence of fire was found. Anne Tartol a bicycle safety instructor said shews teaching a group of 32 children in suburban mount Prospect when the Jet passed overhead. I looked up. We Felt a Spray like a Mist. There was smoke around the plane. Our sunglasses filmed Over. We smelted awful she said. The kid started saying it was a spokesman for the mount Prospect fire department said the exposure was probably Only mini Mal and that there was Little health risk for the Chil Dren. A car Dealership also reported being sprayed bythe fuel. There s an oily film Over All of the cars an trucks out Here about two thirds of my inventory said David Schmirler a Ford dealer. I called United and they said they had an Emer gency Landing situation. I told them that now i be got an emergency business out on 2 limbs Rusty a Frisky 40-Pounder owned by Bui Davis of Stuart Lotta has ranted to walk ran and jump with a 50 percent disability. Two of Rusty s legs were chopped off by mowing machine but he refused to become an invalid. 1
