A German prison on Monday released two men – one Lebanese and one Iranian - who were long considered to be "bargaining chips" to uncover information regarding the fate of kidnapped Israeli Air Force navigator Ron Arad. The two were convicted of the 1992 murder of four Iranian opposition leaders in a Berlin restaurant.
The murderers were released early, despite opposition within Germany and around the world. They were released under a law allowing early discharge for foreigners who have served at least 15 years of their sentences. The Arad family attempted to convince the German federal prosecutors to make the release conditional on obtaining information regarding Ron from Iran and Lebanon.
In a mid-October impromptu press conference in Germany, Chen Arad, Ron's brother, said he held no ill will toward the prosecutor for rejecting their request, but did say, "Bargaining chips come and go – only Ron never comes back. We will keep fighting in the hopes that his matter will be resolved."