Controversy Swirls Around Abu Abbas Capture

Washington dropped a warrant for his arrest several years ago, but Klinghoffer's daughters, Lisa and Ilsa, released a statement Tuesday urging Washington to try Abbas on charges of piracy, hostage-taking and conspiracy.

"We want him brought here. We want him tried here in our country. We want to know that he will serve his full sentence -- which is hopefully a life sentence," said Lisa Klinghoffer in an interview with NBC's "Today" show.

The Palestinian Authority pointed out that Washington was a signatory to the Palestinian-Israeli interim agreement of September 1995 which stated that members of the Palestine Liberation Organization must not be detained or tried for events before the Oslo peace accord of Sept. 13, 1993.