BICOM

According to a report by the Associated Press, an Arab terrorist jailed for deceiving his pregnant fiancé into trying to sneak a bomb aboard an Israeli plane could potentially be released early following a British court ruling earlier in the week. In 1986 Nazir Hindawi attempted to bring down an El Al flight between London and Tel Aviv. British officials blamed Syria for organising the plot, which subsequently led to a breakdown of relations. Syria has repeatedly denied any involvement.

Hindawi was sentenced to 45 years in prison at the time, but he has been eligible for parole since 2001, and has been lobbying for an early release since. On Tuesday, the High Court ruled that a parole board should have the final say on the 56-year-old Hindawi, effectively bypassing British ministers who have repeatedly blocked attempts to free him. Although the parole board’s decision is yet to be made, a previous parole board recommended that Hindawi be released from prison.

A one-time journalist for a London-based Arab publication, Hindawi tricked his pregnant girlfriend, Anne-Marie Murphy, into traveling to Israel, where he claimed the pair were going to marry. Hidden in her suitcase were 10 pounds of plastic explosives and a timer set to go off while the plane was in flight. Had the plot been successful, Murphy would have been among its 375 potential victims. In the end Murphy’s bag was searched, the explosives were found and Hindawi was arrested, tried and convicted.

British officials after the sentencing promised that Hindawi would spend at least three decades in prison. However, changes to British law in the 1990s meant that Hindawi was allowed to apply for early parole, and in October 2009 a parole board recommended his release. Britain’s then-justice secretary Jack Straw overruled the decision, but that decision was subsequently overturned on appeal.