French court rules for release of Lebanese fighter Georges Ibrahim Abdallah

A French court on Thursday ruled in favour of releasing Lebanese militant Georges Ibrahim Abdallah from prison, after he served almost 40 years of a life sentence for attacks on US and Israeli diplomats in France.

The Paris Appeals Court agreed to Abdallah's release on 25 July, on the condition that he leave France, a judicial source said. A second source familiar with the case said he would be deported to Lebanon.

Abdallah is the former head of the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions. He was jailed in 1987 for his role in the 1982 murders in Paris of US military attache Charles Ray and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov and the attempted murder of US Consul General Robert Homme in Strasbourg in 1984.

He is one of the longest serving prisoners in France, as most convicts serving life sentences are freed after less than 30 years.

The US Department of Justice and France's general prosecutor have for years vigorously opposed his release, and eight previous release requests had been rejected.

Neither Abdallah's lawyer nor the Lebanese and US embassies were immediately available for comment.

In a hearing in February, the Paris court said Abdallah should make an effort to compensate his victims' families, according to a person familiar with the matter.

His lawyer stated in June that approximately 16,000 euros ($18,546) had been deposited into his account, an amount the US Department of Justice and France's general prosecutor deemed insufficient and not originating from Abdallah.

A source familiar with the case stated on Thursday that Abdallah will not be required to pay compensation to the victims.

It was not clear if there could be further appeals.

Abdallah, 74, has remained a staunch defender of the Palestinian cause.

The Paris court has described his behaviour in prison as irreproachable and said in November that he posed "no serious risk in terms of committing new terrorism acts."

However, the US Department of Justice has asserted that his release would pose a threat to the safety of US diplomats.

Washington has also used Abdallah's previous comments that he would return to his hometown of Qobayyat on the Lebanese-Syrian border as a reason not to release him, given the recent war on Lebanon.