Lebanese Mistakenly Detained in Greece Returns Home

W460

A Lebanese man mistakenly detained in Greece over involvement in a 1985 plane hijacking case returned to Lebanon on Wednesday.

Mohammed Saleh, a journalist, arrived at Beirut Rafik Hariri International Airport.

Saleh was released Monday by Greek authorities after concluding they had the wrong person, police said.

The 65-year-old was detained last week on the island of Mykonos based on a European arrest warrant issued by Germany for his suspected involvement in the hijacking of TWA Flight 847 and the murder of an American passenger.

Lebanese officials said the arrest was a case of mistaken identity as the man's name is nearly identical to that of the suspected hijacker, but his father's name does not match that of the suspect.

Greek police said their investigation, carried out in collaboration with German authorities, was unable to establish that the man was the wanted hijacker.

Asked if he plans to take legal action against Greece and Germany, Saleh said he will discuss it with his lawyer and decide later.

TWA Flight 847 was travelling from Cairo to San Diego with stops in Athens, Rome, Boston and Los Angeles. It was hijacked on June 14, 1985 after take-off from Athens.

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