Israel releases Golan terrorist; he praises Assad

From UPI:

Israel has released a Syrian prisoner who served 27 years for resistance activities, the official Syrian Arab News Agency reported.

"After 27 years of captivity and unjust detention on charges of resisting the Israeli occupation ... the Arab prisoner hero Sedki embraced freedom and returned to the occupied Golan," SANA said.

Sedki al-Maket was arrested in August 1985 and released to his hometown of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, the news agency said.

Al-Maket, now in his mid-40s, and five others formed a group called The Secret Resistance Movement. He stole grenades and mines from an Israeli military base, compiled information on Israeli military bases and troop movements, and was a member of a group that detonated explosives on an Israeli military base, the International Middle East Media Center said Wednesday.

There was no official comment in Israel on the release.

He served his full term.

It looks like al-Maket is still a strong supporter of Bashir Assad. From Hezbollah's Al Manar:

Speaking to Al-Manar TV, Maqet recalled the May 2000 and July 2006 victories of the Lebanese Resistance against the Zionist killing machine, saying that he was following on all those developments during his prison period.

He further saluted Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, stressing that "we are the soldiers of this great leader and standing under his leadership.”

The released prisoner also saluted the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian people and the Syrian national army “who is facing conspiracies and fighting the same as in 1973,” Maqet said.

Al-Maket might want to think twice before going on any international speaking tours, based on recent experiences from Samir Kuntar.

(Updated headline based on this.)