In brief
French authorities have detained Hicham Harb, a 72-year-old suspect linked to the infamous 1982 attack on a Jewish restaurant in Paris that resulted in six deaths. Extradited by the Palestinian National Authority, his arrival represents a key step in seeking justice for victims. The attackers, associated with a Palestinian splinter group, have remained unpunished for decades. French officials express hope that this extradition could lead to justice for the families affected by the tragedy.
French authorities have detained a 72-year-old man considered a key suspect in a grenade and gun attack on a Jewish restaurant in Paris in 1982, resulting in six fatalities.
Hicham Harb was extradited by the Palestinian National Authority on Thursday as part of a request from France's National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office made in September.
Harb, who is also known as Mahmoud Khader Abed Adra, is suspected of directing the attack in Rue des Rosiers and was one of the gunmen who opened fire on diners.
French President Emmanuel Macron thanked the Palestinian Authority for their cooperation, calling it a concrete demonstration of judicial collaboration following France's recognition of a Palestinian state in September 2025.
Upon arrival at the Villacoublay air force base near Paris, Harb was taken into custody, according to the prosecutor's office.
No one has been convicted in the attack at the Jo Goldenberg restaurant, where thirty people were more than twenty others wounded. The attackers used a grenade before entering with machine guns, targeting those trying to escape.
Last year, France’s highest judicial court ordered a trial for six suspects, three of whom are currently in absentia in the West Bank, Jordan, and Kuwait.
The attack has been attributed to a Palestinian splinter group founded by militant Abu Nidal. His organization is responsible for a series of deadly attacks claiming numerous lives in the 1980s.
Two of the suspects in the Paris attack are already in France, including Abou Zayed, who is believed to have acted as a gunman.
Harb's extradition is regarded as controversial, with his family claiming it was illegal, fearing a lack of fair trial guarantees. In contrast, French authorities insist on upholding justice against acts of antisemitism and terrorism.
Forty-four years later, the French government remains committed to pursuing justice for the victims, as stated by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, emphasizing that France never forgets and never gives up.
