Palestinian Authority Extradites Key Suspect in 1982 Rue des Rosiers Terrorist Attack

The Palestinian Authority handed over Mahmoud Khader Abed Adra, also known as Hicham Harb, to French authorities on Thursday, April 16, making him the second suspect extradited to France in connection with the 1982 attack on the Jo Goldenberg restaurant on Rue des Rosiers in Paris that killed six people and injured 22. The Pnat confirmed in a statement that the handover was executed in response to an extradition request it had filed on September 30, 2025, and that Harb arrived at a French military airbase before being placed in custody. French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the extradition, describing Harb as one of the main suspects in what he called an antisemitic terrorist attack. Harb, now 65 years old according to Mediapart, is suspected of having played a supervisory role in the assault, in which a commando of three to five men threw a grenade into the restaurant before opening fire in the heart of Paris's historic Jewish quarter of Le Marais. The Pnat described the handover as "a major step forward in the quest for truth and justice for the victims of the rue des Rosiers and their families, 42 years after the events."

France's recognition of Palestine unlocked judicial cooperation The extradition was made possible in part by France's recognition of the State of Palestine in September 2025, which the Elysée said created the legal framework for judicial cooperation between the two sides. The Elysée statement noted that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had personally pledged the handover to Macron, and that the Palestinian authorities had demonstrated "their commitment to fighting terrorism" through their cooperation. In an interview with Le Figaro at the end of 2025, Abbas had publicly promised Harb's extradition, citing the recognition of Palestinian statehood as having established "an appropriate framework" for the French request. Harb had been arrested in September 2025 — according to Franceinfo, in the West Bank — before being transferred to the Palestinian Authority. The investigation into the 1982 attack had stalled for decades before experiencing a breakthrough around 2015, when investigators identified several suspects linked to the Abu Nidal Organization, according to Mediapart.

The attack on the Jo Goldenberg restaurant took place on August 9, 1982, in the Marais district of Paris. Six people were killed and 22 were injured when a commando threw a grenade into the restaurant and opened fire. The assault was attributed to the Fatah-Revolutionary Council of Abu Nidal, a Palestinian group that had broken away from the Palestine Liberation Organization. The investigation was closed for a long time before being reopened in the 2010s following new testimonies from former members of the Abu Nidal group, according to Le Figaro.

Defense calls extradition a violation of Palestinian basic law Harb's lawyer, Ammar Dweik, and his family condemned the extradition as legally irregular and politically motivated. Dweik learned of the handover when Harb's family contacted him to say they had been notified by the Palestinian Authority, and Harb's son Bilal al-Adra said he had received a "crying" call from his father confirming the transfer to French authorities. An administrative court in Ramallah had rejected an urgent request by the defense on Tuesday to suspend the extradition, without providing reasons, even though a hearing had been scheduled, according to 20minutes. „The extradition constitutes a serious violation of the Palestinian basic law and a dangerous precedent.” — Ammar Dweik via 20minutes The family described the measure as "illegal and therefore devoid of any guarantee of a fair trial," and also expressed concern about Harb's state of health. No official reaction was published by the Palestinian Authority itself, according to 20minutes.

Second extradition in the case, two suspects still at large Harb is the second suspect to be handed over to France in connection with the Rue des Rosiers attack, following the extradition of Walid Abdulrahman Abu Zayed from Norway in 2020. Two other suspects, including the alleged mastermind of the attack, remain at large and are believed to be in Jordan and Syria, according to Mediapart. The Court of Cassation confirmed in February 2026 that a future trial would proceed, overruling challenges from two defendants already in French custody: Abu Zayed and Hazza Taha, who is under judicial supervision in France. Harb also faces a 1988 German arrest warrant related to an attack at Frankfurt airport in 1985, and is reportedly on investigators' radar in Italy in connection with a 1982 attack on a synagogue in Rome, according to Franceinfo. 44 (years) — time elapsed since the Rue des Rosiers attack before this extradition Lawyer Avi Bitton, representing several civil parties in the case, called the extradition "a major step forward for the manifestation of the truth and for the victims who have been waiting for more than 40 years."

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