‘Israeli Spy Set Free from US Prison’
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard was released on parole in the United States on Friday after 30 years in prison, according to a statement by the office of the Israeli prime minister.
"The people of Israel welcome the release of Jonathan Pollard," the statement said, Reuters reported.
"After three long and difficult decades, Jonathan has been reunited with his family,” it added.
Under the terms of his parole, Pollard, a former US Navy analyst, must remain in the United States for five years.
He was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted in 1987 of passing reams of classified information to Israel.
Now 61, Pollard has said he wants to immigrate to Israel, where his second wife lives and where he can expect to receive substantial Israeli government back-pay.
He was granted Israeli citizenship while in prison.
Pollard's legal team has called on US President Barack Obama to allow him to go to Israel immediately after release from federal prison in North Carolina, while noting that he has a job and a place to live in the United States.
