Hicham Harb, a 72-year-old Palestinian suspected of supervising the 1982 antisemitic attack on Rue des Rosiers in Paris, was placed in pre-trial detention on Friday after extradition to France. Arrested by Palestinian authorities in September 2025, he had been subject to an arrest warrant since 2015. The National Counter-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office announced his upcoming appearance before a special anti-terrorism assizes court.
Hicham Harb was extradited to France and presented to the judge for liberties and detention, who placed him in pre-trial detention ahead of his trial for the Rue des Rosiers attack. The attack, on August 9, 1982, in the Jewish Marais quarter, killed six people and injured 22. It is attributed to Abou Nidal's Fatah Revolutionary Council, a splinter group from the PLO.
Arrested on September 17, 2025, by Palestinian authorities just before Paris recognized Palestine, Harb had faced a French arrest warrant since 2015. His French lawyer declined to comment. His eldest son, Bilal Harb, told AFP: "France is a state of law, and there is no evidence against him and he has no connection to the accusations made against him".
Palestinian lawyer Ammar Dweik called the extradition "a serious violation of the Palestinian basic law and a dangerous precedent". France's Court of Cassation upheld the trial, challenged by two other defendants: Abou Zayed, detained in France since 2020, and Hazza Taha, under judicial supervision.
Civil parties have mixed reactions: some lawyers fear a trial delay, others welcome Harb's appearance. He is also wanted in Germany for a 1985 Frankfurt airport attack and in Italy for a 1982 Rome synagogue assault. Two Jordanian suspects remain in Jordan.
