United States v. Yunis (1991)
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
924 F.2d 1086 (1991)
Fawaz Yunis (defendant) led the 1985 hijacking of a Jordanian Airlines flight in Beirut carrying two American citizens, seeking removal of Palestinians from Lebanon before releasing passengers, blowing up the empty plane, and fleeing; FBI agents later lured Yunis onto a yacht in international waters under 'Operation Goldenrod,' arrested him there, transferred him to a Navy ship for interrogation, then flew him to Washington, D.C. to face conspiracy, air piracy, and hostage-taking charges. Convicted, Yunis appealed, arguing the court lacked both subject-matter jurisdiction (because he was forcibly brought to, rather than voluntarily 'found in,' the United States) and personal jurisdiction obtained through allegedly unlawful means.
Whether the United States may punish non-citizens for crimes committed against American citizens outside the boundaries of the U.S.