Infamous Lebanese Terrorist Freed from French Prison After Serving 41 Years
Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, a Lebanese terrorist convicted for the 1982 murders of an Israeli diplomat and a U.S. military attaché in Paris, was released after 41 years in a French prison and deported to Beirut,
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Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, a 74-year-old Lebanese terrorist convicted in the 1982 murders of Israeli diplomat Yaakov Bar-Siman-Tov and U.S. military attaché Charles Robert Ray in Paris, was released from a French prison on July 25, 2025, after serving over 41 years of a life sentence. The Paris Court of Appeal ordered his release on July 17, stipulating that he leave France and never return, and he was deported to Beirut.
Abdallah, a former secondary school teacher from northern Lebanon, founded the Marxist-Leninist Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions (LARF) in 1979, aligning with anti-Israeli and pro-Syrian groups. The LARF claimed responsibility for the April 3, 1982, killing of Bar-Siman-Tov, a 35-year-old Israeli embassy official shot outside his Paris apartment, and the January 18, 1982, murder of Ray, a 44-year-old U.S. lieutenant colonel killed near his home. The group also attempted to assassinate U.S. Consul Robert O. Homme in Strasbourg in 1984. Abdallah was arrested in Lyon in October 1984 after a police raid uncovered a pistol linked to the murders. In 1987, a French court sentenced him to life for complicity in the attacks.
Eligible for parole since 1999, Abdallah faced repeated denials, partly due to U.S. objections. A 2013 release order was blocked, and a November 2024 approval was delayed by an appeal. The July 2025 decision cited his “irreproachable” prison conduct and low risk of recidivism. Israel’s embassy in Paris was dismayed, calling Abdallah a terrorist who should remain imprisoned. The U.S. Department of Justice had warned in 2024 that his release could destabilize Lebanon. Supporters, including French left-wing MPs and Nobel laureate Annie Ernaux, hailed him as a “political prisoner,” celebrating his release as a victory against foreign pressure.
According to Times of Israel, "Abdallah’s lawyer, Jean-Louis Chalanset, visited him 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 following the court’s release decision, accompanying a lawmaker to the detention center."
Abdallah’s deportation to Beirut comes amid heightened Middle East tensions, including the Israel-Hamas conflict and clashes with Hezbollah, raising concerns about his potential influence in Lebanon.