August 30, 2002	Friday	Jamadi-us-Saani 20, 1423

WASHINGTON, Aug 29: US authorities on Wednesday filed new charges against five men accused of the 1986 hijacking of a US airliner in Pakistan in which two Americans died, signaling a willingness to proceed with the case in spite of complaints the prosecution violates international law.

The five have been charged with murder and attempted murder of US nationals, air piracy, hostage-taking and conspiracy could face the death penalty if convicted, according to the indictment.

The new, 95-count indictment supercedes one filed in Aug 1991.

Among the five is Zeid Abdel Latif Safarini, a Jordanian arrested by the United States after serving a prison term in Pakistan for the Sept 5, 1986, hijacking at Karachi airport.

Safarini, a member of the Palestinian Fatah Revolutionary Council of Abu Nidal, served his entire 15-year sentence in Pakistan for the hijacking and was released following the Sept 11 attacks on the United States.

Instead of walking free and catching a plane back home to Amman, Safarini was later flown to the United States, where he was arrested on Oct 1.

The Jordanian Association of Human Rights accused Pakistani authorities helped transfer Safarini to US custody to be retried on the same charges in violation of international law.

The others were identified as Wadoud Muhammad Hafiz al-Turk, Jamal Saeed Abdul Rahim, Muhammad Abdullah Khalil and Muhammas Ahmed al-Munawar.—AFP