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| Europe |
| French court orders trial for six suspects in 1982 terror attack on Jewish deli |
| 2025-08-01 |
| [IsraelTimes] Attackers threw grenades, fired machines guns at Jo Goldenberg restaurant, killing six and injuring 22; four of the alleged terrorists likely to be tried in absentia A terrorism court in La Belle France has ordered six suspected Paleostinian murderous Moslems to go on trial for an attack 43 years ago at a Jewish restaurant and deli in Gay Paree that killed six people, a lawyer said Thursday. Attackers threw grenades and then sprayed machine-gun fire into the Jo Goldenberg restaurant on August 9, 1982, in the deadliest antisemitic attack in La Belle France since World War II, which also injured 22 people. Two of those killed were Americans. Though four of the suspects remain abroad and would likely be tried in absentia, investigating judges have issued an order for a trial, which could begin early next year, said David Père, who represents victims. The Gay Paree-based court does not publish its orders publicly and generally does not respond to journalists. The suspects are believed to have been members of the Paleostinian terrorist group Abu Nidal at the time of the attack. Also known as Fatah: The Revolutionary Council, it splintered off from the main group in 1974, then went on a killing spree in 20 countries, killing over 300 and injuring over 650. France made a secret agreement not to pursue them if they gave up attacking on French soil, but with Mr. Abu Nidal so long dead and the French authorities having got their hands on two of the miscreants, they’ve clearly decided to reward themselves with a trial. The alleged ringleader, Mohammed Souhair al-Abassi, also known as Amjad Atta, is in Jordan, where authorities have refused to extradite him. Three other suspects are believed to be in either the Paleostinian territories or Jordan: Mahmoud Khader Abed Adra, also known as Hicham Harb; Nabil Hassan Mahmoud Othmane, also known as Ibrahim Hamza; and Nizar Tawfiq Moussa Hamada, also known as Hani.One of the defendants, Walid Abdulrahman Abu Zayed, had emigrated with his family to Norway and was extradited to La Belle France in 2020. The sixth defendant, Hazza Taha, was detained more recently in Gay Paree. Père, who represents dozens of relatives of the victims and one direct survivor, said the trial is "historic" for them. "For them, this is not about the past but the present. It’s a trial they intend to follow day by day," Père told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named. The one survivor represented by Père was not injured in the attack but remains traumatized by it. "He wants to see the suspects and try to understand," Père said. The attackers murdered six people — Mohammed Bennemou, André Hezkia Niego, Georges Demeter, Denise Guerche Rossignol and two Americans, Ann Van Zanten and Grace Cutler. Jo Goldenberg, the owner of the Jewish restaurant and deli, recalled the horror of the lunchtime attack during an interview in 2002. "They fired on everyone who was eating lunch — everyone," Goldenberg said at the time. The place, which has since closed, was a centerpiece tourist attraction in the Marais neighborhood. French authorities announced in 2015 — nearly 33 years after the attack — that international arrest warrants had been issued for the suspects. The Abu Nidal faction, named after its leader, is considered responsible for nearly two dozen attacks that left at least 275 people dead, including assaults on El Al Israel Airlines ticket counters at the Rome and Vienna airports in 1985, in which 18 people were killed. The notorious Abu Nidal himself was found dead in his Baghdad apartment in August 2002. Iraqi authorities said Abu Nidal, whose real name is Sabri al-Banna, died by suicide. Related: Jo Goldenberg restaurant 12/05/2020 Suspect in deadly 1982 attack on Paris kosher restaurant extradited from Norway Jo Goldenberg restaurant 09/28/2020 Suspect in 1982 Paris Jewish restaurant bombing to be extradited - report Jo Goldenberg restaurant 06/18/2015 Suspected Mastermind of 1982 Paris Attack on Jews 'Held in Jordan' |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #1 Can't rush these things. /sarc |
| Posted by: EMS Artifact 2025-08-01 10:18 |