(Reuters) - One of the lawsuits was filed by Sara Hensley, whose father was beheaded in Iraq by Islamic militants; another by Patrick Baker, who was shot in the head during the hijacking of an EgyptAir flight by the Abu Nidal Organisation; the third came from Marvin Wilson, who was abducted by Kurdish separatists in Turkey.
The three litigants and their co-plaintiffs all prevailed in court actions, winning judgement that collectively totalled more than $1.3 billion against Syria, an alleged sponsor of the groups involved in the attacks.