Israel Extraditing 2 Suspects in 1980 Manhattan Beach Slaying

A court in Jerusalem ordered Robert and Rochelle Manning extradited to the United States on suspicion of involvement in the 1980 slaying of a Los Angeles-area secretary who was killed by a bomb hidden in a mailed appliance.

The couple burst into tears when they heard the decision, and Robert Manning declared it a death sentence.

The U.S. Justice Department asked for the order last December and expressed frustration that Israeli authorities were slow in picking up the pair. The Mannings lived in Kiryat Arba, a settlement on the Israeli-occupied West Bank founded by militantly anti-Arab nationalists.

For a time, Washington urged Israel to wait until the Mannings crossed into Israel proper before picking them up in order to avoid giving the impression that the United States recognizes Israeli legal jurisdiction over the West Bank. Although Robert Manning was seen occasionally in Jerusalem, the Israelis failed to pick him up.

Finally, in March, the Justice Department dropped the diplomatic obstacle, and Israeli police picked up the Mannings in Kiryat Arba.

Police in the United States suspect that the bomb that killed Patricia Wilkerson in Manhattan Beach was meant for her boss and was sent in reprisal for a fouled business deal. When Wilkerson plugged the appliance into a wall socket, the device exploded.

Rochelle Manning was tried in the Wilkerson case but went free in 1989 when a jury failed to reach a verdict. She then rejoined her husband, who had taken refuge in Israel.

The Mannings have 30 days to appeal Friday’s ruling to Israel’s Supreme Court. It is rare that Israel extradites its citizens, and right-wing groups are especially incensed that anyone should face charges connected with alleged attacks on Arabs or Arab sympathizers.

Robert Manning is also suspected of involvement in the 1985 slaying of Alex Odeh, an official of the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee, who died after he opened the door to his Santa Ana office and triggered an explosive booby trap.

The bombing took place a day after Odeh had defended the Palestine Liberation Organization in a televised interview. Manning has been linked to the militant Jewish Defense League in the United States and the ultra-nationalist Kach movement in Israel. Both groups were founded by Rabbi Meir Kahane, who was gunned down in New York last year.

The extradition order covers only the Manhattan Beach bombing and cannot be extended to cover Odeh’s killing, Israeli officials said.