Georges lbrahim Abdullah, a Lebanese Christian suspected of having masterminded the murders of an Israeli diplomat and an American military attache here four years ago, was sentenced to four years imprisonment by a Lyon criminal court Thursday.
Abdullah was tried for illegal possession of fire arms and possession of forged passports, relatively minor charges, and there is a possibility that he may be released and expelled from France. He has been in custody since October, 1982, which is applicable to his sentence. French law requires a prisoner to serve two-thirds of a sentence before being eligible for early release.
Abdullah has been in jail less than half the time. But the Justice Ministry could decide to free him now. His attorney, Jacques Verges, who requested immediate release for time served, has hinted at a possible “arrangement” that would involve the release of two French hostages, Marcel Fontaines and Marcel Carton, who have been held by terrorists in Lebanon for over two years.
The French still can try Abdullah for complicity in the murders of Israeli diplomat Yaacov Bar Simantov who was gunned down outside his Paris apartment house in April, 1982 and of Lt. Col. Ray Charles Jr., Deputy Military Attache at the U.S. Embassy, murdered on January 18, 1982.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
