French authorities have taken custody of a 72-year-old man considered a principal suspect in a deadly 1982 attack on a Jewish restaurant in Paris, marking a significant breakthrough in a case that has remained unresolved for over four decades.
Hicham Harb, also known as Mahmoud Khader Abed Adra, was extradited by the Palestinian National Authority on Thursday following a formal request from France's National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office last September. Upon arrival at the Villacoublay air force base near Paris, Harb was immediately placed in detention.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed gratitude to the Palestinian Authority, describing the extradition as "a concrete demonstration" of judicial cooperation stemming from France's recent recognition of a Palestinian state.
"Faced with anti-Semitism and terrorism, France never forgets and never gives up," declared French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who met with victims' families last year.
The attack occurred on August 9, 1982, at the Jo Goldenberg restaurant in Paris's historic Jewish Marais district. Assailants first threw a grenade into the crowded establishment before at least three gunmen entered firing machine guns at diners attempting to flee. The assault left six people dead and more than twenty wounded.
No one has ever been convicted for the killings, which were attributed to a Palestinian splinter group founded by notorious militant Abu Nidal. The organization, which broke from the Palestine Liberation Organization, was responsible for approximately 900 deaths through various attacks during the 1980s.
Last year, France's highest judicial court ordered trials for six suspects in the case. Three remain at large in the West Bank, Jordan, and Kuwait, while two others are already in France. One of those detained in France, Norwegian citizen Abou Zayed, is suspected of being among the gunmen, though his lawyers deny any involvement.
Harb's son, Bilal al-Adra, has criticized the extradition as illegal and expressed concerns about whether his father will receive a fair trial. However, Paris courts have rejected an appeal to have the case heard by a jury instead of judges in a specialized terrorism court.
With Harb now in custody, French authorities believe justice may finally be served for victims and their families forty-four years after the tragic attack.