France investigates alleged assassination plot targeting Netanyahu’s lawyer

Tuesday 29 July 2025 - 13:30

French judicial authorities have opened an official investigation following a complaint by Olivier Pardo, a French lawyer who alleges that he was the target of a contract killing due to his legal defense of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Paris prosecutor confirmed on Monday that a judicial inquiry was launched on charges of “criminal conspiracy”, while denouncing a possible breach of investigation secrecy.

The case gained public attention after the French newspaper Le Parisien reported that Ruddy Terranova, a man with a criminal background, informed Pardo on July 16 that he had been hired to kill him, allegedly by members of Hezbollah in Lebanon, during a visit to Senegal. Terranova claimed he had no intention of carrying out the plan.

The reported motive was Pardo’s role in defending Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) since November 2024 for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza.

The meeting at Pardo’s law office reportedly took place in the presence of two lawyers, an assistant, and a trainee, all of whom have been interviewed by French investigators.

“I remain calm; these are risks that come with defending controversial causes,” Pardo told AFP, emphasizing his trust in the French justice system to clarify whether the threat is real or imagined. Pardo is also known for representing Rachida Dati, France’s Minister of Culture, and far-right commentator Éric Zemmour.

Terranova, who was detained for questioning in the week of July 21, has a controversial past. He was previously acquitted in a case involving an attempted assassination of lawyer Karim Achoui in 2007. He was also described during that trial as a former informant for the police, though his current legal team firmly denies this.

According to Le Parisien, Terranova became radicalized in prison after a conviction in 2004 for violence linked to Islamist extremism. His lawyers, Joshua Kafil and Jean-Christophe Basson-Larbi, stated in a press release that “he has never cooperated with the police or denounced anyone in his life.”