France arrests suspect over 1982 attack on Jewish restaurant

Mahmoud Khader Abed Adra, sought for over four decades, was surrendered by Palestinian authoritiesA man suspected of organising a deadly attack on a Jewish restaurant in Paris has been arrested and placed in custody in France after being handed over by Palestinian authorities.Mahmoud Khader Abed Adra, also known as Hicham Harb, arrived in France on Thursday after Palestinian officials surrendered him to French authorities, a handover that French President Emmanuel Macron linked directly to France’s recent recognition of Palestinian statehood.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Senate vote on arms sale shows ‘massive cracks’ in US support for Israellist 2 of 3Displaced Lebanese in Beirut uncertain if they can trust ceasefirelist 3 of 3UK’s Starmer under fire over report Mandelson failed security vettingend of listOn August 9, 1982, three to five men threw a grenade into Jo Goldenberg, a Jewish-owned restaurant in the Rue des Rosiers, in Paris’s historic Marais district, before opening fire on the street outside.Six people were killed and 22 wounded in the incident.The attack was blamed on the Fatah-Revolutionary Council, a Palestinian armed faction that had split from the mainstream Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).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 flown 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”.“Forty-four years is too long,” said David Pere, a lawyer representing several families.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.