A suspect in Panama's deadliest terrorist attack has been extradited from Venezuela and taken into custody, advancing a decades-long investigation into a bombing that U.S. authorities have linked to Hezbollah and pursued for more than 30 years.
Ali Zaki Hage Jalil, a Colombian-born Venezuelan national, arrived in Panama City under heavy security and was transferred to judicial authorities for questioning after his extradition was approved by Venezuela's Supreme Court. The case stems from the 1994 bombing of Alas Chiricanas Flight 901, which killed all 21 people on board, most of them members of Panama's Jewish community.
🇵🇦 Venezuela extradita a Panamá a terrorista vinculado a Hizbulá
— EVTV (@EVTVMiami) April 21, 2026
🔗 El ciudadano colombo-venezolano Ali Zaki Hage Jalil, presunto terrorista vinculado a Hizbulá, llegó este lunes extraditado desde Venezuela al aeropuerto de Tocumen, según confirmó a EFE una fuente oficial.
🔎… pic.twitter.com/qrxxlZqOWN
U.S. Ambassador to Panama Kevin Cabrera described the extradition as "a very important step toward justice," expressing hope that the legal process would bring closure to victims' families, as The Miami Herald reports. The United States has long taken an interest in the case, in part because several U.S. citizens were among the victims and because of suspected links to international terrorism.
The aircraft exploded shortly after takeoff from Colón on July 19, 1994. Investigators later determined that an explosive device had been smuggled aboard, likely concealed in a radio. The attack, which had no survivors, was initially attributed to possible drug-related motives before being reclassified as terrorism after intelligence provided by Israel led Panamanian authorities to reopen the case in 2018.
U.S. and regional officials have linked the bombing to Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group, citing similarities with the 1994 attack on a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires one day earlier. Jalil is accused of playing a role in planning and logistics, though he has not been convicted and will now face proceedings in Panama.
His arrest in November 2025 on Venezuela's Margarita Island followed an Interpol Red Notice, reviving a case that had remained largely dormant for years. The extradition process was complicated by his dual nationality and Venezuelan legal restrictions on extraditing citizens, but authorities ultimately approved the transfer with conditions on how he would be prosecuted.
The case also intersects with broader geopolitical concerns. U.S. officials have repeatedly warned that Hezbollah maintains financial and logistical networks in Latin America, often operating through commercial fronts and transnational connections. Venezuela has been cited in U.S. reports as a potential hub for such activity, including alleged links between state actors and groups aligned with Iran.
The proceedings against Jalil are expected to test evidence gathered across multiple jurisdictions and could take years to resolve, but officials say the extradition represents a rare breakthrough in a case that has long symbolized unresolved terrorism in the region.
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