Latest news with #CharlesRay
Al Arabiya
25-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Lebanese militant lands in Beirut after 40 years in French jail: Airport source
A Lebanese pro-Palestinian communist militant arrived in Lebanon Friday following his release after more than 40 years in detention in France. Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, 74, was serving a life sentence for complicity in the murders of two diplomats, one American and one Israeli, in Paris in 1982. The Paris Court of Appeal ruled last week that Abdallah, who has been imprisoned in France since his arrest in 1984, could be released on the condition that he leave the country and never return. Abdallah was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1987 for complicity in the assassinations of US Army Lt. Col. Charles Ray, who was stationed in Paris as an assistant military attaché, and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov. He became eligible for parole in 1999 but multiple requests he filed since then were denied. In Lebanon, many saw Abdallah as a political prisoner. While there was no official event marking his return, a crowd of supporters, including a number of members of Parliament, gathered outside of the Beirut airport to wait for him. Some banged on drums and held up Palestinian and Lebanese Communist Party flags and a banner reading, 'George Abdallah is free — a Lebanese, Palestinian and international freedom fighter on the road to liberating Palestine.' The crowd broke out in cheers upon hearing the plane carrying Abdallah had arrived.
LBCI
17-07-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
After 40 years behind bars, Georges Abdallah set to walk free—will politics stand in the way again?
Report by Wissam Nasrallah, English adaptation by Mariella Succar He spent more than half his life behind bars, accused of involvement in the assassinations of American and Israeli diplomats on French soil. But to many, he is seen as a hero who dedicated his youth to a cause he believed in. Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, the longest-held political prisoner in Europe, is set to walk free after more than 40 years behind bars. Abdallah's story begins during Lebanon's civil war, when he was a young leftist with Marxist and nationalist beliefs. He saw the Palestinian resistance as a natural extension of his struggle against occupation and colonialism. He joined the armed struggle as a member of the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions (LARF), a group accused of carrying out attacks targeting Western diplomats, most notably the 1982 assassinations of U.S. military attaché Charles Ray and Israeli diplomat Yaakov Bar-Simantov in Paris. Abdallah was arrested in 1984 in the French city of Lyon while carrying a fake Algerian passport. After three years of investigations and trials, he was sentenced to life in prison, beginning a long chapter of legal and political battles. He has been eligible for parole for 25 years, but French authorities—under internal and international political pressure—have rejected 12 previous requests submitted by his lawyers. Each time, the case returned to square one, despite French law allowing the conditional release of life-sentenced prisoners after a set period, especially when the prisoner demonstrates good behavior. Nearly four decades later, a Paris appeals court has broken the stalemate, issuing a ruling to release him starting July 25, on the condition that he be immediately deported to Lebanon and permanently barred from returning to French territory. Will this mark the final chapter in Georges Abdallah's story, or will politics once again intervene to block his release?
LBCI
17-07-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
French court orders release of Lebanese national Georges Ibrahim Abdallah
BFM TV reported that a French court on Thursday ordered the release of Lebanese national Georges Ibrahim Abdallah after nearly 40 years in prison for attacks on diplomats, one American and one Israeli, in France. Abdallah, the former leader of the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions, was sentenced to life in prison in 1987 for his role in the assassinations of U.S. military attaché Charles Ray and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov in Paris in 1982, as well as the attempted assassination of U.S. Consul General Robert Homme in Strasbourg in 1984. Officials from the Court of Appeal have not yet issued any comment. Reuters
Asharq Al-Awsat
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
French Court Rules for Release of Lebanese Activist Georges Ibrahim Abdallah
A French court on Thursday ruled for the release from prison of Lebanese activist Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, after serving almost 40 years in prison for attacks on American and Israeli diplomats in France, BFM TV reported. The former head of the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Brigade (LARB) was sentenced to life in 1987 for his role in the 1982 murders in Paris of US military attaché Charles Ray and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov, and the attempted murder of US Consul General Robert Homme in Strasbourg in 1984. Officials at the French appeals court did not immediately reply for a comment on the situation.
Fast Company
26-06-2025
- Fast Company
‘Your dad's being used in these videos': Scammers are turning to AI and TikTok to fake animal rescue videos
As you scroll through your FYP, a sweet elderly man or woman appears, asking for a moment of your attention to help save their struggling animal shelter. 'Please stay 8 seconds so I don't have to shut down my cat shelter I poured my love into,' the text on screen reads. You stay and watch. After all, it's only eight seconds. Maybe you even buy the slippers they're selling to raise additional funds. It's a scam. The man in the video is real, but he doesn't run an animal shelter. He owns a menswear and tailoring shop in Canton, Ohio. 'One night I was scrolling on TikTok watching videos and I see my dad's face pop up, saying 'Stay for a few seconds and help my husband or grandpa's cat shelter,' And I'm like, 'What?'' Daisy Yelicheck told WMBF News. 'Then I'm getting text messages from family members across the country, saying, 'Do you know your dad's being used in these videos?'' Daisy's father, George Tsaftarides, 84, does post on TikTok, where he teaches his 41,000 followers how to sew. Now, bad actors have taken his content, edited it, and used it for their own gain. Tsaftarides isn't the only target. Charles Ray, an 85-year-old retiree in Michigan, has also had videos from his TikTok account repurposed without his permission. In one instance, scammers used a clip of him rubbing his eye, making it look as if he was crying, he told The Guardian. TikTok, in a statement to the Guardian, said its community guidelines prohibit impersonation accounts and content that violates intellectual property rights. Still, both Tsaftarides and Ray have had difficulty getting the stolen videos removed, even after reporting them. Beyond stolen content, the Better Business Bureau has received reports of AI-generated scams designed to solicit fake donations. According to an FBI report, American consumers lost $12.5 billion to cybercrime last year, a 25% increase from the year before. Now, some TikTok users are stepping in to raise awareness, warning others not to fall for every cat shelter or cow farm asking for donations. The sob story, after all, is one of the oldest tricks in the book.
