Suspect in 1980 Paris synagogue attack freed on bail

The chief suspect in a deadly attack on a Paris synagogue in 1980 is released on bail after being held for 18 months, judicial and investigation sources say.

Hassan Diab, 62, is accused of being part of the Special Operations branch of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which was blamed for the bombing on October 3, 1980, that left four dead and around 40 injured.

But Diab, a Lebanese-Canadian sociology professor extradited from Canada in November 2014, is released on bail after a judge rules there is a doubt on the “fundamental question” of whether he was in France on the day of the attack.

The Paris prosecutor’s office is appealing the decision.