By Taghreed Saadeh
A Palestinian official source confirmed that the Palestinian Authority has handed over Mahmoud Al-Adra, known as Hesham Harb, to the French authorities over allegations that he took part in an attack in Paris nearly 43 years ago, in accordance with the legal framework governing extradition between the two countries.
The source, who requested anonymity, told “Zaytoun News” that Harb had never been affiliated with the Palestinian Authority’s security services, explaining that the financial support provided to his family was purely social and humanitarian assistance, not a salary or employment-related payment.
The French National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office announced today that Harb, one of the four suspects wanted in connection with the attack that took place on August 9, 1982, targeting the “Jo Goldenberg” restaurant in the Jewish quarter in central Paris, which resulted in the death of six people and the injury of 22 others, was arrested immediately upon his arrival in France. He was detained at an air base near the capital, Paris, and a French court held a session today in preparation for the trial.
Harb, 72, has been subject to an international arrest warrant for more than a decade. He was referred, along with five others, to the Special Criminal Court in Paris in late July 2025 over the same attack.
For more than three decades, the Rue des Rosiers attack remained shrouded in mystery and was classified as the deadliest antisemitic attack in France since World War II. In 2007, French investigating judge Marc Trévidic reopened the case after years of stalled investigations. In 2008, Harb was identified through two confidential testimonies from former members of the Abu Nidal organization, known as “Witness 93” and “Witness 107,” who stated that he was the field commander and direct operational leader of the attack. He was also identified by survivor Guy Benarus, who was 16 at the time, who said he saw Harb firing as he fled the scene.
Investigations indicate that Harb was the field commander responsible for the operation, involved in selecting targets and logistical planning, while Mohammad Sohaib Al-Abbasi, known as Amjad Atta, is believed to have been the main planner of the attack.
Further investigations revealed that Harb had trained as a weapons instructor in Abu Nidal camps in Syria before being appointed as logistics coordinator in Europe and Asia. He is believed to have received the weapons used in the attack, including WZ-63 submachine guns and hand grenades, from a hidden cache prior to the operation. The weapons were later found days after the attack in the Boulogne forest west of Paris, linking the incident to the organization. Witness statements also indicate that he conducted reconnaissance of the target site two weeks before the attack, disguised as a university student alongside an associate.
Harb belonged to the “Fatah – Revolutionary Council,” known as the Abu Nidal organization, founded in 1974 as a breakaway faction from Fatah. During the 1970s and 1980s, the group carried out a series of armed operations in several countries, including assassinations targeting Palestinian figures in Lebanon, Iraq, Libya, Kuwait, and Tunisia, among other locations. Fatah has also accused the group of assassinating prominent leaders such as Abu Iyad, Abu al-Hol, and Abu Mohammed al-Omari.
Fatah also accuses the Abu Nidal organization of carrying out operations that allegedly served Israeli interests, including the shooting of the Israeli ambassador in London in 1982, which was used as a pretext for the invasion of Beirut.
According to available information, Harb began his career within the organization as a firearms instructor in its training camps in Syria before rising to become a member of its central committee and head of the arms division in Europe and Asia, following participation in earlier operations, including the assassination of a defecting member in Madrid. He later left armed activity and was involved in arrangements for settling the status of several members in the 1990s.
France had requested Harb’s extradition since 2015 under an international arrest warrant, but the Palestinian Authority refused at the time, citing the lack of international recognition of Palestine as a state. However, France’s recognition of the State of Palestine in September 2025 changed this context and opened the door to judicial cooperation between the two sides. Harb was arrested on 19 September, just days before the French recognition was officially announced, a move seen by observers as politically significant and reflective of strengthened relations between Paris and Ramallah.
In this context, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stated in an interview last November with Le Figaro ahead of his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron that the legal procedures related to the extradition had reached their final stages, with only technical details remaining. He reiterated the Palestinian Authority’s readiness to hand over the suspect, saying that France’s recognition of Palestine had created an appropriate framework for the request. President Macron praised cooperation with the Palestinian Authority, while the Élysée Palace confirmed that there were no legal obstacles to the extradition, only procedural matters.
Harb’s family, meanwhile, expressed concern over his health condition, stating that he suffers from several illnesses, including cancer and neurological disorders.
International arrest warrants remain active for other suspects in the case, including Nizar Tawfiq Hamada, Amjad Atta, and Nabil Othman, as French authorities continue efforts to bring all those involved to justice more than four decades after the attack.
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