JERUSALEM (JTA) — A U.S. court ordered Iran to pay $25 million in restitution to the family of an Israeli soldier.
District Judge Ricardo Urbina awarded the money to the mother and siblings of Nachshon Wachsman, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen who was 19 years old when he was kidnapped and killed in 1994 by Hamas terrorists. His mother and six brothers are all American citizens.
The money includes $5 million for Wachsman’s lost earnings potential, as well as his pain and suffering. Urbina also ordered Iran to pay 6 percent annual interest since the date of his death.
Wachsman was held captive for six days by Hamas in an Arab village near Jerusalem and died during a failed rescue attempt.
Iran has never responded to the lawsuit, which was filed in 2006. The lawsuit blames Iran for Wachsman’s death, since it trained the Hamas terrorists.
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