Terry Anderson, Six-Year Hostage and Reporter, Passes at 76
TL/DR –
Terry Anderson, the American journalist who was held hostage for over six years in Lebanon by Islamic militants, passed away aged 76 due to complications from heart surgery. Anderson was the longest-held Western hostage in Lebanon, kidnapped in 1985 by Shia Hezbollah militants while serving as the Beirut bureau chief for The Associated Press. After his release, he led a varied life, including running for the Ohio State Senate, owning a blues bar, teaching journalism, and establishing a foundation to build schools in Vietnam.
Terry Anderson, Notable American Journalist and Lebanon Hostage, Dies at 76
Terry Anderson, the longest-held Western hostage in Lebanon, died on Saturday at his home in Greenwood Lake, N.Y., at 76. His daughter, Sulome Anderson, attributed his death to complications from recent heart surgery.
Anderson’s Capture and Captivity in Lebanon
Anderson, the Beirut bureau chief for The Associated Press, was abducted in 1985 by armed men who shoved him into a car after an early morning tennis match. The captors were Shia Hezbollah militants from the Islamic Jihad Organization in Lebanon. Anderson was beaten, blindfolded, and held captive in about 20 hideouts in Beirut, South Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley for 2,454 days.
Iran-Contra Affair Connection
The Iran-backed militants indicated their actions were in retaliation to Israel’s use of American weapons against Muslim and Druze targets in Lebanon. They also aimed to pressure the Reagan administration into facilitating the illegal sale of weapons to Iran – a scheme later known as the Iran-Contra Affair.
Life After Release
Anderson was the last of 18 Western hostages released. He married his fiancé, who had been pregnant during his abduction, and met his 6-year-old daughter for the first time after release.
Early Life and Career
Terry Alan Anderson was born in 1947 in Lorain, Ohio. After serving in the Marines, he earned degrees in journalism and political science from Iowa State University. He worked for The A.P. in Japan and South Africa before a two-and-a-half-year stint in Lebanon beginning in 1983.
Post-Captivity Activities
After his release, Anderson owned a blues bar in Ohio and ran unsuccessfully for the Ohio State Senate in 2004. He sued Iran for $100 million in damages, collecting about $26 million of Iran’s frozen assets in the U.S. He established the Vietnam Children’s Fund, building over 50 schools in Vietnam, and taught at several journalism schools.
Survivors and Legacy
Survivors include his second of three wives, Madeleine Bassil, his daughters Sulome and Gabrielle, a sister Judy, and a brother Jack. Anderson’s experience as a hostage influenced his post-captivity life, with him stating, “It takes as long to recover as the time you spent in prison.”
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