Suicide Bombing Victim Wants Iranian President's Suite During UN General Assembly
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - The victim of what a court said was Iranian terrorism wants that country's leader to pay up, at least in part.
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In 1997, Stuart Hersh was severely injured in a suicide bombing in Jerusalem. A court in Washington, D.C. found Iran liable and ordered a $12 million judgment for Hersh.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be among the world leaders converging on New York for the upcoming United Nations General Assembly and Hersh says he's entitled to the president's luxury suite.
"He's spending $140,000 at the Warwick Hotel, and he owes me $12 million," Hersh, 64, told WCBS 880's Marla Diamond.
His attorney, Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, said state sponsors of terrorists must be hit in a place that hurts the most.
"Which is in their pocket," she said. "And we have to find creative ways."
The bombing left the former Queens resident and U.S. Navy veteran with injuries so severe he still incurs $500 a month in medical expenses.
"So, in effect, Iran is still terrorizing me," he said.
He added that his real goal isn't the hotel room itself, but the money he's owed.
Ahmadinejad is scheduled to address the General Assembly on September 26, which happens to be Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement.
For its part, the Warwick Hotel has refused to comment.
