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Omar Mohammed Ali Rezaq (né Omar Marzouki; born 1957/1958)^[1] is a Lebanese-born Palestinian^[2] militant who is the lone surviving hijacker of EgyptAir Flight 648 in 1985. He was a member of Abu Nidal Organization. The plane was hijacked by a group of three people. The remaining two hijackers were killed, either during in-flight shooting with the plane's sky marshal, Methad Mustafa Kamal, or after Egyptian commandos stormed the hijacked plane.

Early life and activities

Rezaq gave his name as Omar Marzouki and used a Tunisian passport when boarding the plane at Athens airport, but later admitted that he is of Palestinian origin. The FBI determined that Omar Marzouki was his real name, while "Omar Mohammed Ali Rezaq" was an alias, as its initials (O.M.A.R.) made the name easy to remember.^[3]

During hours of negotiations while the plane was on the ground at Luqa airport in Malta, five passengers were shot, three of whom survived. On 24 November 1985, Egyptian commandos set explosives that ignited a fire, suffocating many of the passengers.^[4] Rezaq was wounded in a subsequent shootout (his left lung was pierced by a bullet and attacked with a hatchet by the pilot), but recovered and was arraigned in a Maltese court on 12 December 1986. The preliminary inquiry lasted until 3 April 1987, and on 2 November 1988, Rezaq pleaded guilty to seven of the nine charges against him. These were the illegal arrest of crew and passengers, the deaths of Nitzan Mendelson and Scarlett Marie Rogenkamp, the attempted killings of Methad Mustafa Kamal, Patrick Scott Baker, Jacqueline Nink Pflug and Tamar Artzi, and the illegal possession of arms and explosives. The first two charges were later withdrawn. Rezaq was sentenced to the maximum 25 years' imprisonment, less the years and months he had already spent in prison. On appeal, the sentence was confirmed on 20 April 1989.

Rezaq served only seven years in Malta and was released. As a free man under an assumed name, he went to Accra, Ghana where, at the request of the American Embassy Regional Security Officer Jerald H. Barnes, he was detained by the Ghana government and remained there until July 1993.

Travel to Nigeria

Ghanaian authorities did not give Rezaq to the United States but told them that he planned to go to Nigeria.^[3] Rezaq flew to Lagos in July 1993; U.S. intelligence officials were on board his flight to monitor him.^[5] He was arrested and underwent extraordinary rendition by members of the DSS, who flew him to the U.S.^[6]^{[page needed]} Rezaq's arrest was the result of an agreement between the governments of the United States and Nigeria.^[5] When Rezaq arrived at the airport, Nigerian officials denied him entry since he did not have a passport, something they knew beforehand, and placed him on the first aircraft departing Nigeria,^[3] a Gulfstream IV leased by the U.S. government. FBI agents arrested him, fingerprinted him, and flew back to the U.S.^[5]

On 19 July 1996, after a month-long trial in Washington, D.C., Rezaq was sentenced to life in prison on a single count of air piracy. Although air piracy resulting in death is a capital offense under federal law, Attorney General Janet Reno had declined to seek the death penalty.^[2]

Later life

U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth recommended that any request for parole made after the 10-year period should be rejected. An appeal was rejected on 6 February 1998.^[7]

Omar Mohmamed Rezaq, register number 20267-016, is imprisoned at the United States Penitentiary, Marion, located in Southern Precinct, Williamson County, Illinois.^[8]

References

^ United States Bureau of Prisons profile (OMAR MOHAMMED REZAQ, Register Number: 20267-016) gives his age as of 13 August 2022 as 64)
^ ^a ^b David Johnston (8 October 1996). "Terrorist Sentenced to Life in Prison for Deadly 1985 Hijacking (Published 1996)". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c Milholland, Lewis (2017-03-30). "The story of a woman who survived a terrorist's bullet to her skull, and the FBI special agents who brought her would-be-murderer to justice". Collegiate Times. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
^ "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 737-266 SU-AYH Malta-Luqa Airport (MLA)".
^ ^a ^b ^c Engelberg, Steven (1993-07-17). "HIJACKER'S ARREST LAID TO DIPLOMACY". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
^ Benjamin, Daniel & Steven Simon. "The Age of Sacred Terror", 2002
^ "United States of America, Appellee, v. Omar Mohammed Ali Rezaq, A/K/A Omar Marzouki, A/K/A Omaramr, Appellant, 134 F.3d 1121 (D.C. Cir. 1998)".
^ Inmate Locator, Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved 28 December 2013.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{BLP sources|date=August 2022}}
-'''Omar Mohammed Ali Rezaq''' (born 1963){{Citation needed|date=June 2019}} is a Lebanese-born Palestinian<ref name="NYT">{{Cite web |title=Terrorist Sentenced to Life in Prison for Deadly 1985 Hijacking (Published 1996) |author=David Johnston |work=The New York Times |date=8 October 1996 |access-date=22 December 2021 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1996/10/08/us/terrorist-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-for-deadly-1985-hijacking.html}}</ref> militant who is the lone surviving [[Aircraft hijacking|hijacker]] of [[EgyptAir Flight 648]] in 1985. He was a devout Muslim{{cn|date=December 2021}} and member of [[Abu Nidal]]. The plane was hijacked by a group of three people. The remaining two hijackers were killed, either during in-flight shooting with the plane's [[sky marshal]], Methad Mustafa Kamal, or after [[Egypt]]ian [[commando]]s stormed the hijacked plane.
+[[File:Omar Rezaq.jpg|thumb|Omar Rezaq]]
+'''Omar Mohammed Ali Rezaq''' ({{ne}} '''Omar Marzouki'''; born 1957/1958)<ref>United States Bureau of Prisons profile (OMAR MOHAMMED REZAQ, Register Number: 20267-016) gives his age as of 13 August 2022 as 64)</ref> is a Lebanese-born Palestinian<ref name="NYT">{{Cite web |title=Terrorist Sentenced to Life in Prison for Deadly 1985 Hijacking (Published 1996) |author=David Johnston |work=The New York Times |date=8 October 1996 |access-date=22 December 2021 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1996/10/08/us/terrorist-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-for-deadly-1985-hijacking.html}}</ref> militant who is the lone surviving [[Aircraft hijacking|hijacker]] of [[EgyptAir Flight 648]] in 1985. He was a member of [[Abu Nidal Organization]]. The plane was hijacked by a group of three people. The remaining two hijackers were killed, either during in-flight shooting with the plane's [[sky marshal]], Methad Mustafa Kamal, or after [[Egypt]]ian [[commando]]s stormed the hijacked plane.
+== Early life and activities ==
-Omar Rezaq had given his name as Omar Marzouki and used a [[Tunisia]]n passport when boarding the plane at [[Athens]] airport, but later admitted that he is of [[Palestinians|Palestinian]] origin and was born in [[Lebanon]] in 1963.{{Citation needed|date=November 2017}} The FBI determined that "Omar Marzouki" was his real name while "Omar Mohammed Ali Rezaq" was an alias, as its initials (O.M.A.R.) make the name easy to remember.<ref name=Milholland>{{cite web|author=Milholland, Lewis|url=http://www.collegiatetimes.com/news/egyptair-flight/article_4753f35c-152b-11e7-a09d-f7de535180ca.html|title=The story of a woman who survived a terrorist's bullet to her skull, and the FBI special agents who brought her would-be-murderer to justice|publisher=[[Collegiate Times]]|date=2017-03-30|accessdate=2017-11-01}}</ref>
+Rezaq gave his name as Omar Marzouki and used a [[Tunisia]]n passport when boarding the plane at [[Athens]] airport, but later admitted that he is of [[Palestinians|Palestinian]] origin. The [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] determined that Omar Marzouki was his real name, while "Omar Mohammed Ali Rezaq" was an alias, as its initials (O.M.A.R.) made the name easy to remember.<ref name=Milholland>{{cite web|author=Milholland, Lewis|url=http://www.collegiatetimes.com/news/egyptair-flight/article_4753f35c-152b-11e7-a09d-f7de535180ca.html|title=The story of a woman who survived a terrorist's bullet to her skull, and the FBI special agents who brought her would-be-murderer to justice|publisher=[[Collegiate Times]]|date=2017-03-30|accessdate=2017-11-01}}</ref>
-During hours of negotiations while the plane was on the ground at [[Luqa]] airport in [[Malta]], five passengers were shot, three of whom survived. On 24 November 1985, Egyptian commandos set explosives that ignited a fire, suffocating many of the passengers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19851124-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 737-266 SU-AYH Malta-Luqa Airport (MLA)}}</ref> Rezaq was wounded in a subsequent shootout (his left lung was pierced by a bullet and attacked with a hatchet by the pilot), but recovered and was arraigned in a Maltese court on 12 December 1986. Preliminary inquiry lasted until 3 April 1987, and on 2 November 1988, Rezaq pleaded guilty to seven of the nine charges against him. These were the illegal arrest of crew and passengers, the deaths of Nitzan Mendelson and Scarlett Marie Rogenkamp, the attempted killings of Methad Mustafa Kamal, Patrick Scott Baker, Jacqueline Nink Pflug and Tamar Artzi, and the illegal possession of arms and explosives. The former two charges were later withdrawn. Rezaq was sentenced to the maximum 25 years' imprisonment, less the years and months he had already spent in prison. On appeal, the sentence was confirmed on 20 April 1989.
+During hours of negotiations while the plane was on the ground at [[Malta International Airport|Luqa airport]] in [[Malta]], five passengers were shot, three of whom survived. On 24 November 1985, Egyptian commandos set explosives that ignited a fire, suffocating many of the passengers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19851124-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 737-266 SU-AYH Malta-Luqa Airport (MLA)}}</ref> Rezaq was wounded in a subsequent shootout (his left lung was pierced by a bullet and attacked with a hatchet by the pilot), but recovered and was arraigned in a Maltese court on 12 December 1986. The preliminary inquiry lasted until 3 April 1987, and on 2 November 1988, Rezaq pleaded guilty to seven of the nine charges against him. These were the illegal arrest of crew and passengers, the deaths of Nitzan Mendelson and Scarlett Marie Rogenkamp, the attempted killings of Methad Mustafa Kamal, Patrick Scott Baker, Jacqueline Nink Pflug and Tamar Artzi, and the illegal possession of arms and explosives. The first two charges were later withdrawn. Rezaq was sentenced to the maximum 25 years' imprisonment, less the years and months he had already spent in prison. On appeal, the sentence was confirmed on 20 April 1989.
-Rezaq served only seven years in Malta and was released. As a free man under an [[Pseudonym|assumed name]], he went to [[Accra]], [[Ghana]] where at the request of the American Embassy Regional Security Officer Jerald H. Barnes he was detained by the Ghana government and remained there until July 1993.
+Rezaq served only seven years in Malta and was released. As a free man under an [[Pseudonym|assumed name]], he went to [[Accra]], [[Ghana]] where, at the request of the American Embassy Regional Security Officer Jerald H. Barnes, he was detained by the Ghana government and remained there until July 1993.
+== Travel to Nigeria ==
-Ghanaian authorities did not give Rezaq to the [[United States]] but told them that he planned to go to [[Nigeria]].<ref name=Milholland/> Rezaq flew to [[Lagos]] in July 1993; U.S. intelligence officials were on board his flight to monitor him.<ref name=Engelberg>{{cite news|author=Engelberg, Steven| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/17/world/hijacker-s-arrest-laid-to-diplomacy.html|title=HIJACKER'S ARREST LAID TO DIPLOMACY|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=1993-07-17|accessdate=2017-11-01}}</ref> He was arrested and [[extraordinary rendition]]ed by members of the DSS, who flew him to the U.S.<ref name="sacredcows">Benjamin, Daniel & Steven Simon. "The Age of Sacred Terror", 2002</ref>{{Page needed|date=November 2017}} Rezaq's arrest was the result of an agreement between the governments of the United States and Nigeria.<ref name=Engelberg/> When Rezaq arrived at the airport, Nigerian officials denied him entry since he did not have a passport, something they knew beforehand, and placed him on the first aircraft departing Nigeria,<ref name=Milholland/> a [[Gulfstream IV]] leased by the U.S. government. [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] agents arrested him, fingerprinted him, and flew back to the U.S.<ref name=Engelberg/>
+Ghanaian authorities did not give Rezaq to the [[United States]] but told them that he planned to go to [[Nigeria]].<ref name=Milholland/> Rezaq flew to [[Lagos]] in July 1993; U.S. intelligence officials were on board his flight to monitor him.<ref name=Engelberg>{{cite news|author=Engelberg, Steven| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/17/world/hijacker-s-arrest-laid-to-diplomacy.html|title=HIJACKER'S ARREST LAID TO DIPLOMACY|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=1993-07-17|accessdate=2017-11-01}}</ref> He was arrested and underwent [[extraordinary rendition]] by members of the DSS, who flew him to the U.S.<ref name="sacredcows">Benjamin, Daniel & Steven Simon. "The Age of Sacred Terror", 2002</ref>{{Page needed|date=November 2017}} Rezaq's arrest was the result of an agreement between the governments of the United States and Nigeria.<ref name=Engelberg/> When Rezaq arrived at the airport, Nigerian officials denied him entry since he did not have a passport, something they knew beforehand, and placed him on the first aircraft departing Nigeria,<ref name=Milholland/> a [[Gulfstream IV]] leased by the U.S. government. [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] agents arrested him, fingerprinted him, and flew back to the U.S.<ref name=Engelberg/>
-On 19 July 1996, after a month-long trial in Washington, D.C., Rezaq was sentenced to life in prison on a single count of [[Aircraft hijacking|air piracy]]. Although air piracy resulting in death is a capital offense under federal law, Attorney General [[Janet Reno]] had declined to seek the [[death penalty]].<ref name="NYT" /> U.S. District Court Judge [[Royce Lamberth|Royce C. Lamberth]] recommended that any request for [[parole]] made after the 10-year period should be rejected. An appeal was rejected on 6 February 1998.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://cases.justia.com/us-court-of-appeals/F3/134/1121/562102/|title=United States of America, Appellee, v. Omar Mohammed Ali Rezaq, A/K/A Omar Marzouki, A/K/A Omaramr, Appellant, 134 F.3d 1121 (D.C. Cir. 1998)}}</ref>
+On 19 July 1996, after a month-long trial in [[Washington, D.C.]], Rezaq was sentenced to life in prison on a single count of [[Aircraft hijacking|air piracy]]. Although air piracy resulting in death is a capital offense under federal law, Attorney General [[Janet Reno]] had declined to seek the [[death penalty]].<ref name="NYT"/>
+== Later life ==
-Omar Mohmamed Rezaq, register number 20267-016, is imprisoned at [[United States Penitentiary, Marion]].<ref>"[http://www.bop.gov/Locate/ Inmate Locator]." [[Federal Bureau of Prisons]]. Retrieved on 28 December 2013.</ref>
+U.S. District Court Judge [[Royce Lamberth|Royce C. Lamberth]] recommended that any request for [[parole]] made after the 10-year period should be rejected. An appeal was rejected on 6 February 1998.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://cases.justia.com/us-court-of-appeals/F3/134/1121/562102/|title=United States of America, Appellee, v. Omar Mohammed Ali Rezaq, A/K/A Omar Marzouki, A/K/A Omaramr, Appellant, 134 F.3d 1121 (D.C. Cir. 1998)}}</ref>
+Omar Mohmamed Rezaq, register number 20267-016, is imprisoned at the [[United States Penitentiary, Marion]], located in [[Southern Precinct, Williamson County, Illinois]].<ref>[http://www.bop.gov/Locate/ Inmate Locator], [[Federal Bureau of Prisons]]. Retrieved 28 December 2013.</ref>
 ==References==
@@ Line 17: / Line 24: @@
 ==Further reading==
-* Mizzi,J.A.. (1989).  ''Massacre in Malta : The Hijack of Egyptair MS 648 '', 72 p:ill. J.A. Mizzi - Valletta : Technografica, 1989. DDC : 364.162
+* Mizzi, John A. (1989). ''Massacre in Malta : The Hijack of Egyptair MS 648 '', 72 p:ill. J.A. Mizzi - Valletta : Technografica, 1989. DDC : 364.162
 * Johnston, David. (1996, October 7). U.S. Sentencing Due Today in 1985 Hijack. ''The New York Times.'' [https://www.nytimes.com/1996/10/07/us/us-sentencing-due-today-in-1985-hijack.html?pagewanted=all link]
 * {{cite web|url=https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-dc-circuit/1222111.html|title=UNITED STATES of America, Appellee, v. Omar Mohammed Ali REZAQ, a/k/a Omar Marzouki, a/k/a Omar Amr, Appellant.}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Rezaq, Omar}}
-[[Category:1963 births]]
+[[Category:1950s births]]
-[[Category:Living people]]
 [[Category:20th-century criminals]]
-[[Category:Date of birth missing (living people)]]
+[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
 [[Category:Hijackers]]
+[[Category:Inmates of ADX Florence]]
+[[Category:Palestinian people imprisoned in the United States]]
+[[Category:Living people]]
+[[Category:People imprisoned on terrorism charges]]
 [[Category:Palestinian mass murderers]]
 [[Category:Palestinian people convicted of murder]]
 [[Category:Palestinian people imprisoned abroad]]
 [[Category:Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment]]
-[[Category:People imprisoned on charges of terrorism]]
+[[Category:People convicted of murder by Malta]]
-[[Category:Place of birth missing (living people)]]
+[[Category:People convicted of murder by the United States federal government]]
-[[Category:Prisoners and detainees of Malta]]
 [[Category:Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by the United States federal government]]