Overview
- The Paris Court of Appeal’s July 17 ruling mandated his conditional release effective July 25 and ordered his deportation and permanent ban from France.
- At dawn on July 25, French authorities escorted Abdallah from Lannemezan prison via Tarbes and Roissy airports before his flight to Beirut.
- Convicted in 1987 for the killings of U.S. military attaché Charles Robert Ray and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov, he had been eligible for parole since 1999.
- Repeated U.S. objections had blocked his earlier release applications, highlighting a diplomatic standoff between France and Washington.
- Upon arrival, supporters and members of parliament greeted Abdallah at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri Airport and later in Qobayat village.