WASHINGTON — The release does more than spring loose a convicted terrorist. It also could deprive the government of a star witness in the event that Abu Ibrahim, a Palestinian master bomb-maker currently featured on the FBI list of most wanted terrorists who authorities say orchestrated the Pan Am attack and similar strikes around the world, is captured.
A former top lieutenant, Mohammed Rashed would be able to implicate Ibrahim as the architect of the attack and help establish his identity in case prosecutors ever bring him to the United States to face justice.
Once freed, it is not clear that he would continue cooperating, though the Justice Department says it has enough other evidence for a conviction.
‘‘They certainly could teach people coming along. Whether they would or not, of course, I don’t know. Their ability to make bombs go off is quite extraordinary,’’ said Bob Baer, a former top CIA officer who worked clandestinely in the Middle East.
Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said the charges against Ibrahim, who was indicted in 1987 along with Rashed and Rashed’s Austrian-born wife, remain active and that the government is still seeking his prosecution....
‘‘The Justice Department does not bring charges against a defendant unless it believes it has sufficient evidence to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law,’’ he said in a statement....
Uh-huh.
The agreement also stipulated that Rashed, a Jordanian-born Palestinian from Bethlehem, would be deported to a country of his choice upon his release.
His lawyer wouldn’t comment on Rashed’s plans....
The plea deal reflects the balancing of two government interests that are sometimes in conflict: securing lengthy prison sentences for dangerous felons while also incentivizing their cooperation against higher-value targets through the prospect of an early release.
Though Ibrahim remains at large, Rashed’s cooperation has been extensive by some accounts....
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