Life imprisonment for terrorist attack on Paris synagogue 43 years ago

More than 40 years after a deadly Paris synagogue bombing, one of the perpetrators has been sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia. A special court in Paris on Friday found the elderly living in Canada guilty, several French media reported unanimously. The convict denied having placed the bomb in front of the synagogue.

On October 3, 1980, terrorists detonated a bomb in front of a synagogue in western Paris. At that time, more than 300 worshipers were at the place of worship to celebrate Shabbat and three bar mitzvah celebrations. The attack killed three Frenchmen and an Israeli and injured 47 people. The attack is believed to be the first deadly anti-Semitic attack in France since World War II. A five-man commando from a radical Palestinian organization is said to have been responsible for the attack.

Whether Canada will extradite the now-convicted is doubtful. The first extradition of the Lebanese-Canadian man in the course of the investigation took place years later. In 2018, the investigations against the man were initially stopped in France – the public prosecutor filed an objection. French justice has not found any other suspects.

In the three-week process, numerous survivors of the attack also spoke. One woman said, “From that moment on, I was never the same.” The targeted attack on Jews made her feel that she was no longer a Frenchwoman. Another survivor told the court, “On this October 3, something died in me forever — a spark of life.” (sda/dpa)