French authorities announced the arrest and custody of a man suspected of organizing a deadly attack on a Jewish restaurant in Paris in 1982. Mahmoud Khader Abed Adra, also known as Hicham Harb, was handed over by Palestinian authorities to French officials and flown to Paris. This handover was directly linked by French President Emmanuel Macron to France's recent recognition of Palestinian statehood, highlighting the geopolitical dimensions of the case.
On August 9, 1982, three to five men threw a grenade into Jo Goldenberg, a Jewish-owned restaurant on Rue des Rosiers in Paris's historic Marais district, before opening fire on the street outside. The incident resulted in six deaths and 22 injuries. The attack was blamed on the Fatah-Revolutionary Council, a Palestinian armed faction that had split from the mainstream Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), underscoring the historical tensions involved.
Adra was arrested in the West Bank by Palestinian security forces in September last year. French antiterrorism prosecutors filed an extradition request days later, and he was transported to the Villacoublay military airbase outside Paris on Thursday, where he was taken into custody. His lawyer described the extradition as "a serious violation of Palestinian fundamental law," raising legal and sovereignty concerns.
President Macron praised the Palestinian Authority's cooperation, stating it reflected a commitment by President Mahmoud Abbas to work with France on counterterrorism. Abbas had told French newspaper Le Figaro late last year that France's recognition of Palestinian statehood in September 2025 had "created an appropriate framework" for the extradition request. David Pere, a lawyer representing several victims' families, remarked, "Forty-four years is too long," emphasizing the prolonged quest for justice.
Two other suspects are already in French custody, and in February, France's highest court confirmed that a trial will proceed, a ruling that had been challenged by the defendants. This case reignites discussions on terrorism, historical accountability, and the complexities of international judicial cooperation, particularly in light of shifting diplomatic alignments.
Source: www.aljazeera.com