Souhaila Andrawes

Souhaila Sami Andrawes Sayeh (Arabic: سهيلة أندراوس born 28 March 1953 in Beirut^[1]) is a former militant^[2] and Lebanese member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

Souhaila Andrawes's passport photo, ca. 1977

Lufthansa Flight 181 hijacking

In 1977, she participated in the hijacking of Lufthansa Flight 181 and the murder of pilot Jürgen Schumann. Andrawes was the only one of the four hijackers to survive the GSG 9 storming of the plane in Mogadishu.^[3] During the rescue operation, she was shot in the legs and lungs.

Andrawes was sentenced to twenty years imprisonment in Somalia, but was released a year later due to health-related issues, after which she moved to Beirut.^[4] In 1991, she moved to Oslo with her husband, Palestinian academic and human rights activist Ahmad Abu Matar, and her daughter until she was tracked down by Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) in 1994 and handed over to Germany in 1995.^[5][6] The arrest was followed by a strong debate on how to deal with foreign terrorists. She was sentenced to 12 years on terrorism charges and was released after three years^[7] due to poor health.^[8] She was the first woman to be sentenced twice for such a crime. Andrawes has since resided in Oslo, Norway with her husband and their daughter.^[9]

References

1. "Woman Tied to 1977 Hijacking Fights Extradition to Germany". The New York Times. 9 January 1995. Retrieved 12 March 2010.
2. "HANSEATISCHES OBERLANDESGERICHT URTEIL IM NAMEN DEs VOLKES In der Strafsache gegen Souhaila Sami A N DRAWES SAYEH geboren am 28. März 1953 in Hadath/Libanon" (PDF). www.unodc.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-28.
3. "Norwaves Volume 4, Number 45, 1996". www.norwaves.com. Archived from the original on 2005-02-15.
4. Taillon, J. Paul de B. (2002). Hijacking and Hostages: Government Responses to Terrorism. Praeger Publishers. p. 144.
5. "WORLD NEWS BRIEFS;Norway Gives Germany A Palestinian Hijacker". The New York Times. 1995-11-26.
6. politidepartementet, Justis-og (1995-10-10). "Souhaila Andrawes to be extradited to Germany". 012005-070014. Retrieved 2024-10-01.
7. "Aviation Security International 12 NOVEMBER 1999: OSLO". www.asi-mag.com. Archived from the original on 2007-02-02.
8. "Souhaila Andrawes løslates i morgen". dagbladet.no (in Norwegian). 1999-11-29. Retrieved 2024-10-01.
9. "Eine Angeklagte leidet - doch ihre Opfer nicht minder - WELT". DIE WELT (in German). Retrieved 2024-10-01.