US special forces in Iraq have captured the Palestinian guerrilla leader who masterminded the 1985 hijacking of the Achille Laurocruise ship.
US Central Command said in a statement that Abu Abbas was picked up in a raid in southern Baghdad on Monday evening.
It said his capture "removes a portion of the terror network supported by Iraq," although Abbas has long renounced violence and Israel has allowed him to travel to Gaza.
Asked what would happen to Abbas now, a Central Command spokesman said: "Justice will be served." He gave no further details.
Abbas, also known as Mohammed Abbas, was sentenced in absentia in Italy to life in prison for planning the hijacking of the Italian cruise ship in the eastern Mediterranean.
The hijackers killed a disabled elderly American Jewish passenger, Leon Klinghoffer, shooting him and pushing his wheelchair over the side of the ship.
His daughters, Lisa and Ilsa Klinghoffer, released a statement late yesterday urging the United States to try Abbas on charges of piracy, hostage-taking and conspiracy.
