WASHINGTON, Oct. 7 -- Omar Mohammed Ali Rezaq, 38, was sentenced Monday to life in a U.S. prison for his part in the November 1985 terrorist hijacking of Egyptair Flight 648. However, because Rezaq committed his crimes before the current sentencing guidelines went into effect, he cannot be held for more than 30 years despite the life sentence handed down by U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, the U.S. attorney's office said. The Justice Department said it would recommend to the U.S. Parole Commission that Rezaq serve the full 30 years. 'Justice has been done,' Attorney General Janet Reno said in a prepared statement. 'This tough sentence is a tribute to the persistence and dedication of federal investigators and prosecutors. Let this be a warning -- we will track down and bring terrorists to justice, no matter how long it takes.' According to the U.S. attorney's office, Rezaq shot five passengers, two fatally, during the hijacking. An addition 57 passengers were killed by fire and stray rounds when the Egyptian commandos stormed the plane. Rezaq was arrested by FBI agents in Nigeria in 1993, and was convicted last July in Washington. In November 1985, Egyptair Flight 648 was scheduled to fly from Athens to Cairo when Rezaq and two other terrorists hijacked the plane. After a mid-air shootout with an Egyptian sky marshal, Rezaq forced the plane to land in Malta. When Maltese officials refused to refuel the aircraft, Rezaq threatened to shoot a passenger every 15 minutes.
Rezaq separated the passengers into nationalities and attempted to kill all the Americans and Israelis by shooting them in the head at point-blank range, according to U.S. officials. One Israeli passenger and one U.S. citizen were killed, but another Israeli and two Americans survived their wounds. Rezaq escaped from the aircraft during the confusion and smoke of the commando raid. He was arrested by Maltese authorities within 24 hours, but Malta released him a short time later, and Rezaq remained at large until his capture in Nigeria. At his trial in Washington, Rezaq claimed to be a member of the Abu Nidal Organization, and said he suffered from post traumatic stress syndrome and was insane at the time of the hijacking.