Jonathan Pollard to be released from US prison on Friday
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WASHINGTON — Jonathan Pollard, the Navy intelligence analyst whose 1985 arrest for selling secrets to Israel set off a sensational spy saga, is scheduled to be released from federal prison on Friday, marking the end of a three-decade diplomatic burr in the relationship between the two allies.
Pollard, 61, had been serving a life sentence, but was granted parole this year under sentencing rules in place at the time of his prosecution that made him presumptively eligible for release this month.
Pollard's plans aren't immediately clear. His lawyers said after the parole decision in July that he had lined up a job and housing in the New York area. His lawyers have said that he will be required to remain in the United States for five years, though they called on President Barack Obama to grant him clemency and permit him to move to Israel immediately.
But the White House quickly shot down that prospect, saying Pollard had committed "very serious crimes" and the president had "no intention of altering the terms of Mr. Pollard's parole."
