Word: hammadis
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...word has it that 80 Iraqi military officers were executed for attempting a coup. Another day the rumor is that 76 Iraqis and Egyptians were put to death for mounting an anti-Saddam demonstration south of Baghdad. Still another day brings the story that former Iraqi Prime Minister Saadoun Hammadi and 24 high-ranking army officers were shot for a coup attempt...
Unconfirmable reports of roundups and executions, circulated by Iraqi opposition sources intent on destabilizing the regime, have reached such a pitch that it is tempting to conclude that Saddam Hussein is pressing the panic button. On the other hand, Hammadi resurfaced in the inner circle after his rumored death. As for Saddam, he continues his belligerent hate campaign. Last week he marked Army Day with a cheer for the Scud missiles that had "hit the cursed Israel" during last year...
Another factor that could scotch a settlement is the imprisonment in Germany of two Lebanese brothers, Mohammed and Abbas Hammadi. Tried and jailed for, respectively, the 1985 TWA hijacking and the abduction of two German relief workers, the Hammadis are an unpredictable wild card in the hostage negotiations. The Hammadi family claims to hold the two Germans hostage and has warned the leadership of Hizballah, to which it belongs, that they will not go free until the imprisoned brothers are released...
After an initial tart response that Germany "will not be blackmailed," Bonn lapsed into silence. Germany's refusal to swap convicted criminals for kidnapped hostages is well known, and any second thoughts would undoubtedly be checked by pressure from Washington, especially since Mohammed Hammadi was convicted for his role in the 1985 TWA skyjacking, which resulted in the murder of U.S. Navy diver Robert Stethem. How critical the Hammadis will prove in any final settlement remains uncertain. While Hizballah has asserted that it wants the brothers back, it is possible that the demand is merely a noisy tactic designed...
There is at least one other wild card: the future of the Lebanese brothers Mohammed and Abbas Hammadi. The two members of a prominent Shi'ite family associated with Hizballah are imprisoned in Germany -- Mohammed for his part in the 1985 TWA hijacking, Abbas for the abduction of two German businessmen. Some Lebanese and Syrian officials believe that Leyraud's seizure was an attempt by a third Hammadi to secure the release of his brothers. Western intelligence officials say the Hammadi family has warned the leadership of Hizballah that it will release none of its hostages until the Hammadi brothers...