Al-Gashey, his nephew Jamal Al-Gashey, and Mohammed Safady were released seven and a half weeks later on 29 October 1972, when
Lufthansa Flight 615 from Damascus to Frankfurt was hijacked by Arab militants. The hijackers demanded the release of the three surviving militants or they would blow up the plane. Without consulting the Israeli government, the West German government acquiesced to their demands. In a press conference given by the three surviving militants in Tripoli shortly after their release from Germany, Adnan Al-Gashey was asked by a British journalist if he, personally, shot the Israelis. Al-Gashey replied in English:Al-Gashey: It's not important to say if I killed Israeli or not. Reporter: But they were unarmed, the Israeli hostages, did you shoot any of them yourself? Al-Gashey: They are unarmed, but we have to know that Israeli is our enemy, Israel is our enemy...so we have to kill Israeli because...(cut off by spokesman interjecting) ==Death==