Lebanese militant released after 40 years in French jail / Photo: © AFP
-
FIFA condemns 'concerted and ongoing effort' to weaken Infantino
-
Espresso power fires Darderi past Borges in Montreal
-
South Africa win after surviving late Argentina surge
-
Shnaider upsets Pegula to book Toronto quarter-final with Swiatek
-
Man Utd boss Carrick being 'careful' with Mount as Man Utd draw with PSG
-
Mount injury overshadows Man Utd draw with Paris Saint-Germain
-
All Black Tuipulotu surprised after Sharks include Nonu
-
Ukraine denies targeting Bulgaria as drone explodes near pipeline
-
Infantino denies allegations of affair, favouritism while at UEFA: report
-
Vollering grabs Tour de France lead in Nice
-
MotoGP leader Martin soars to victory in British GP sprint race
-
Euros to showcase new TV guidelines on non-sexualisation of women athletes
-
Mosimane set to succeed Broos as South Africa coach
-
'Calm' Kiss savours first win as Wallabies boss
-
Drone enters Bulgaria, explodes near pipeline at Romanian border
-
Duplantis bids for fourth European title as stars align in Birmingham
-
Paris orders e-scooter users to wear helmets, reflective gear
-
Ukraine warns of tough winter as Russia strikes kill 4 in Kyiv region
-
Lionel Messi's father Jorge dies aged 68
-
Recovering Marchand to skip medleys at European swim champs
-
Johnson reveals 'stress' of Grand Slam Track collapse, clarifies payment
-
MotoGP leader Martin speeds to British Grand Prix pole
-
Defending champion Ferrand-Prevot out of Tour de France Femmes
-
Drone enters Bulgaria, explodes near pipeline at Romanian border: Bulgarian PM
-
Wallabies squeeze past Japan to give Kiss a winning start
-
Arsenal sign Brazil midfielder Guimaraes from Newcastle
-
Kyiv mourns recovery volunteer, whose life 'intertwined with the fallen'
-
Atletico will not sell Alvarez, says Simeone
-
Only two vehicles earn perfect child-seat scores for 2026
-
Ford Fathom turns affordable electric pickup into reality
-
Chinese car brands reshape Australia’s automotive market
-
Lise Klaveness, the Norwegian thorn in Infantino's side
-
Electric cars enter their most decisive generation yet
-
Europe’s electric car boom exposes a widening market divide
-
Three Chinese carmakers enter the global automotive top 10
-
US Senate confirms Trump's ex lawyer as attorney general
-
Ukraine's Zelensky visits Russian ally Serbia as Moscow pounds Kyiv
-
Tibet conference in Nepal pushed online
-
Ukraine's Zelensky visits Russian ally Serbia for talks
-
Nocturnal 'coffee frog' discovered in Costa Rica
-
Defending champion Shelton storms to Montreal win
-
India's 'cockroach' protest movement keeps heat on Modi
-
Exodus: West Bank hardships drive out Palestinian Christians
-
Russia's only anti-war party eyes support boost at elections
-
Travis Head wins Australian cricketer of the year gong
-
Canada tries to adapt to a future of wildfires
-
Colombia's new president vows to 'defeat narco-terrorists'
-
Death of NBA forward Clarke ruled accident due to heroin, cocaine
Lebanese militant released after 40 years in French jail
One of France's longest-held inmates, the pro-Palestinian Lebanese militant Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, was released from prison and is due to be deported on Friday, after more than 40 years behind bars for the killings of two diplomats.
At around 3:40 am (01:30 GMT), a convoy of six vehicles left the Lannemezan penitentiary with lights flashing, AFP journalists saw.
A source close to the case confirmed to AFP that 74-year-old Abdallah had left the prison.
Abdallah was detained in 1984 and sentenced to life in prison in 1987 for his involvement in the murders of US military attache Charles Robert Ray and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov in Paris.
The Paris Court of Appeal had ordered his release "effective July 25" on the condition that he leave French territory and never return.
While he had been eligible for release since 1999, his previous requests were denied with the United States -- a civil party to the case -- consistently opposing him leaving prison.
Inmates serving life sentences in France are typically freed after fewer than 30 years.
Once out of prison, Abdallah is set to be transported to the Tarbes airport where a police plane will take him to Roissy for a flight to Beirut, according to a source close to the case.
Abdallah's lawyer, Jean-Louis Chalanset, visited for a final time on Thursday. "He seemed very happy about his upcoming release, even though he knows he is returning to the Middle East in an extremely tough context for Lebanese and Palestinian populations," Chalanset told AFP.
AFP visited Abdallah last week after the court's release decision, accompanying a lawmaker to the detention centre.
The founder of the Lebanese Revolutionary Armed Factions (FARL) -- a long-disbanded Marxist anti-Israel group -- said for more than four decades he had continued to be a "militant with a struggle".
- 'Past symbol' -
After his arrest in 1984, French police discovered submachine guns and transceiver stations in one of his Paris apartments.
The appeals judges also found the length of his detention "disproportionate" to the crimes and given his age.
Abdallah's family said they plan to meet him at Beirut airport's "honour lounge" before heading to their hometown of Kobayat in northern Lebanon where a reception is planned.
F.Wagner--VB
