Palestinian Authority Extradites Mahmoud Al-Addra, Known As Hisham Harb, To France Over 1982 Paris Attack

The Palestinian Authority handed over Palestinian Mahmoud Al-Addra, known as Hisham Harb, to French authorities on charges tied to an attack in Paris about 43 years ago, according to Al-Jazeera Net and Sada News.

“The Palestinian Authority handed over the Palestinian Mahmoud Al-Addra, known as Hisham Harb, to French authorities on charges related to his alleged involvement in carrying out an attack in Paris about 43 years ago”

Al-Jazeera Net

France accuses Harb, along with other Palestinians, of involvement in a 1982 armed attack that targeted a restaurant in the Jewish quarter in central Paris, killing six people and wounding 22.

Al-Jazeera Net

Al-Jazeera Net reported that lawyer Ammar Dweik said, "The family of Hisham Harb contacted me today and told me that they had been informed by the Palestinian Authority of his handing over to the French authorities."

In parallel, Sada News quoted Dweik saying the family was notified by the Palestinian Authority about the handover to French authorities.

France 24 and Gulf News both said Harb arrived in France on Thursday after being extradited by the Palestinian Authority, with the French national anti-terrorist prosecution office stating he was detained on arrival at an air base near the capital.

France 24 added that Harb is due to face formal proceedings, and that he will be formally notified of the warrant against him on Friday.

The Times of Israel framed the suspect as Mahmoud Khader Abed Adra, known as "Hicham Harb," and said Arabic news reports described the extradition as PA sending a key suspect to France.

Across the accounts, the attack is described as occurring in Paris’s Marais neighborhood at the Jo Goldenberg restaurant, where a group of three to five men hurled a grenade inside before opening fire on customers.

Multiple outlets describe the 1982 attack in consistent terms: a grenade was hurled into the Jo Goldenberg restaurant in Paris’s Marais neighborhood, followed by gunfire on customers.

France 24 said the attack rocked the French capital’s historically Jewish Marais neighbourhood 44 years ago, when "a group of three to five men hurled a grenade inside the Jo Goldenberg restaurant, then opened fire on customers, killing six people and wounding 22 others."

Arab News PK

Gulf News similarly described the attack as occurring in the Marais, saying "a group of three to five men hurled a grenade inside the Jo Goldenberg restaurant, then opened fire on customers, killing six people and wounding 22 others."

Arab News PK also tied the suspect to the Jo Goldenberg restaurant, stating the attack was on August 9, 1982, and that the grenade and shooting killed six and wounded 22.

The Times of Israel added operational detail, saying "The attack began around midday when a grenade was tossed into the dining room of the Parisian eatery" and that the attackers then entered and opened fire with "Wz-63 Polish-made machine guns."

It also said the restaurant had around 50 customers inside and that the attackers shot at passers-by as they escaped.

France 24 and Gulf News both described Harb as one of four suspects sought in connection with the August 9, 1982 attack.

France 24 further said the attack was attributed to the Fatah-Revolutionary Council (Fatah-RC) led by Abu Nidal, a Palestinian splinter group that broke away from the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO).

The extradition unfolded after years of pursuit by France and after the Palestinian Authority arrested Harb in September 2025, with multiple outlets tying the timing to France’s recognition of a Palestinian state.

“✕ Home News Analysis Agro-Forestry Art & Culture Technology Economy & Business Education Energy & Extractives Politics Law & Governance Health Science & Environment Social & Gender Sports Transport Urban Development WASH Research LogIn/SignUp Close the sidebar Paris Restaurant Attack Suspect Mahmoud Khader Abed Adra Arrested Mahmoud Khader Abed Adra, implicated in a 1982 deadly attack on a Jewish restaurant in Paris, has been arrested in France”

Devdiscourse

Al-Jazeera Net said the Palestinian Authority arrested Harb on September 19 last year, "a few days before France's formal recognition of the State of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly on September 22."

France 24 similarly said Harb was arrested by Palestinian authorities in September 2025, "days before French President Emmanuel Macron officially recognised a Palestinian state."

Al-Jazeera Net also stated that since 2015 France had demanded his handover for trial under an international arrest warrant, and that arrest warrants had long been issued for other suspects including Nizar Tawfiq Hamadeh, Amjad Atta, and Nabil Othman.

France 24 said Harb, also known as Mahmoud Khader Abed Adra, was detained on arrival in Paris and is due to face formal proceedings, with the national anti-terrorist prosecution office saying he will be formally notified of the warrant against him on Friday.

Gulf News described the same sequence, saying he was detained on arrival at an air base near the capital and will be formally notified on Friday.

Al-Jazeera Net added that Palestinian police in Ramallah summoned Bilal Al-Addra in the afternoon and informed him of his father's official handing over, and it said a Thursday court session was expected in Ramallah to consider Harb’s case.

The Palestine Chronicle, citing Quds News Network, said a hearing had been scheduled before the administrative court to review an urgent request seeking to halt the transfer, but that the handover was carried out before the session could take place.

The handover triggered immediate reactions from Harb’s family and from human-rights and legal figures, with concerns centered on legality, secrecy, and Harb’s health.

Al-Jazeera Net reported that Bilal Al-Addra said his father called him this morning from a private number, crying, and told him, "Now they want to hand me over to the French authorities, take care of yourselves, I love you very much."

France 24

It also said the family fears for his fate because the extradition is "dangerous and considered illegal, thus offering no guarantees of a fair trial," and it said they fear for his health due to illnesses including cancer and neurological disorders.

Lawyer Ammar Dweik stressed that the extradition constitutes "a serious violation of the Palestinian Basic Law and a dangerous precedent," according to Al-Jazeera Net.

Sada News echoed the same family concerns, quoting Bilal Al-Addra’s account of his father’s call and saying the family feared the extradition’s "seriousness" because it is "considered illegal, and thus there are no guarantees for a fair trial."

The Palestine Chronicle, citing Quds News Network, described the transfer as "illegal" and "unprecedented," and said the process was conducted under official secrecy without public announcement or clarification of the legal basis.

The Palestine Chronicle further said Harb’s deteriorating health included bladder cancer and chemotherapy treatment in hospitals in Ramallah.

Against that, France 24 and Gulf News emphasized the formal legal posture after extradition, saying Harb was detained on arrival and due to face formal proceedings, with Macron’s office thanking the Palestinian authorities for cooperation and commitment to fighting terrorism.

After the extradition, the sources describe a next phase focused on formal proceedings in France and on how quickly the case should move, while also pointing to other related warrants and cases.

“Alleged coordinator of deadly 1982 Paris Jewish restaurant attack in French custody A man accused of coordinating a 1982 attack on a Jewish restaurant in Paris that killed six people arrived in France Thursday after being extradited by the Palestinian Authority”

Gulf News

France 24 said Harb was detained on arrival at an air base near the capital and will be formally notified of the warrant against him on Friday, and it said he is due to face formal proceedings over one of the country’s deadliest post-war antisemitic attacks.

Gulf News

Gulf News likewise said he will be formally notified of the warrant on Friday, and it described the attack as the 1982 Jo Goldenberg restaurant assault that killed six and wounded 22.

France 24 added that the more than four decades elapsed since the attack "is too long," quoting David Pere, and it said he called for the trial to be held as quickly as possible.

The Times of Israel provided additional context about the wider investigation, saying French authorities announced in 2015 that international arrest warrants had been issued for Harb and five other suspects, and it said a French judge ordered a trial in July.

It also said one defendant, Hazza Taha, was detained last year in Paris, and that another defendant, Walid Abdulrahman Abu Zayed, 66, had emigrated with his family to Norway and was extradited to France in 2020.

The Times of Israel further listed other suspects thought to be at large, including Nabil Hassan Mahmoud Othmane, also known as Ibrahim Hamza, and Nizar Tawfiq Moussa Hamada, also known as Hani, and it said Mohamed Souhair al-Abassi, also known as Amjad Atta, is in Jordan where authorities have refused to extradite him.

Al-Jazeera Net said arrest warrants have long been issued for other suspects including Nizar Tawfiq Hamadeh, Amjad Atta, and Nabil Othman, who are outside France.