Family Wins $323 Million Against Iran, Syria Over Terrorist Attack

Back in 2006, I wrote about Daniel Wultz, a sixteen-year-old American teenager who was murdered in a homicide bombing perpetrated jointly by Islamic Jihad and Fatah's al-Aksa Martyr's brigade while he was eating lunch at a felafel restaurant in Tel Aviv. Ten other people died in that attack, and others were severely wounded.

Six years later, the Wultz family has finally won a judgment against jihadi sponsors Iran and Syria for $323 million. The ruling came because it was proven in court that Iran had financed the operation and Syria had allowed the murderers to train on its soil.

News of the judge's ruling was received by the Wultz family on May 14th, the sixth anniversary of Daniels death.

Wultz Attorney Robert Tolchin told msnbc.com that with the court judgment in hand his clients can seek Iranian and Syrian assets to collect the award.

Tolchin said he couldn’t be specific, but he would explore “various avenues.”

“There is a lot of litigation by people seeking the turnover of Iranian assets,” Tolchin said. “The Iranians have kept U.S. courts busy.”

As in the Wultz case, Iran often does not fight against a judgment, but hires major U.S. firms to fight the collection of the award, Tolchin said.

Syria, on the other hand, did fight the claim and was represented in court by former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark.

“Iran and Syria are foreign states with substantial wealth and that have expended significant resources sponsoring terrorism,” wrote Judge Royce C. Lamberth in his ruling.

“Barbaric acts like the April 17, 2006 suicide bombing have no place in civilized society and represent a moral depravity that knows no bounds.”

If you look back at my original story from 2006 and read the comments from the Palestinian' leaders quoted, you might just agree with Judge Lamberth. Yet we're still giving these people over a billion dollars of our tax money.

The Wultz family will likely head to Europe to try and collect come of the judgment. There are a number of countries that still trade with Iran and honor U.S. judgments, a legal term known as reciprocity.

The money won't bring back Daniel Wultz, but it will hurt Iran and Syria, so it's worth pursuing these obscene jackals. It's a pity our government doesn't.