Terrorist could be set free
A terrorist who tried to use his unwitting Irish fiancee as a human bomb could be freed within months after a High Court judge dismissed British Government moves to keep him in prison.
The court rejected Home Secretary David Blunkett’s proposal to deny Nezar Hindawi a parole hearing for early release from a 45-year sentence handed down in 1986.
Hindawi duped Ann-Marie Murphy into carrying 3lb of Semtex explosive on to an El Al flight from Heathrow to Tel Aviv in April of the same year.
The young chambermaid thought she was travelling to Palestine to meet Hindawi’s family — but the explosives concealed in the false bottom of her hand luggage had been primed to explode when the plane reached 39,000 feet.
El Al security became suspicious about the weight of her bag and discovered the false bottom. Hindawi was found at a hotel in London’s Notting Hill area preparing to flee London with false papers.
He was due to be considered for parole in 2001 — but Home Secretary David Blunkett intervened to block the review.
Now the High Court has ruled Mr Blunkett’s decision denied Hindawi his human rights — meaning he could be released early.
Anne-Marie had left her machinist job in Dublin to move to London where she met Hindawi while she was working as a chambermaid at the Park Lane Hilton.
She wrote home to her parents in Sallynoggin in Co. Dublin to tell them of her happy relationship — not knowing that she was being duped by Hindawi who was already married and also had a family.
Days before the incident Hindawi surprised her with tickets for a trip to the Holy Land where he said they would be married.
But on the way to the airport he told her he would not be able to travel with her and would follow her on. As soon as she left he left the airport, went to his hotel and checked out.
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