German Court Reexamines Berlin Bombing Case

A federal appeals court in Leipzig is reviewing the sentences handed down in the case of the 1986 bomb attack on a disco in Berlin that killed three people and injured more than 200. A court in Berlin ruled in 2001 that the attack on La Belle disco, which was frequented by U.S. soldiers, was planned by Libya's secret service. The court then convicted Verena Chanaa, a German who planted the bomb, to 14 years in prison. Yassir Chraidi, a Palestinian, was also found guilty and sentenced to 13 years. Two other, Musbah Abdulghasem Eter and Ali Chanaa, a Libyan and Lebanese-born German respectively, received 12-year sentences each. Prosecutors are now arguing that the sentences were too lenient although they have not specified how much they want the punishments raised. In the case of the three men, the prosecution is arguing that while they were convicted as accessories, they should have been sentenced as accomplices. Defense lawyers are also appealing, but want the sentences of the four reduced.