Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, a Lebanese militant and figurehead of Palestinian resistance, has been freed after more than four decades in a French prison.

Sentenced to life in prison for 'complicity in assassinations' in 1987, the Lebanese former militant, who has been eligible for release since 1999, was released after his 12th request. He was immediately put on a plane to his home country.

After more than four decades behind bars in France, Georges Ibrahim Abdallah – the Lebanese leftist militant imprisoned since 1984 – landed in Beirut after leaving his prison early Friday. His release,