Jonathan Pollard collapses in jail, rushed to hospital

December 2, 2012
http://www.jta.org/news/article/2012/12/02/3113311/jonathan-pollard-collapses-in-jail-rushed-to-hospital

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Convicted spy for Israel Jonathan Pollard collapsed in
his jail cell and was hospitalized.

Pollard reportedly collapsed Saturday at the Federal Correction Institution
in Butner, N.C., after complaining of being in serious pain for several
weeks.

Pollard's wife, Esther, told the Israeli news site Ynet that she has been
updated on her husband's condition and asked people to pray for him. It is
unknown what caused his collapse.

Pollard has suffered from a variety of illnesses since being imprisoned for
life in 1986 after accepting a plea bargain for spying for Israel while
working as a civilian analyst for the U.S. Navy.

Esther Pollard recently asked President Obama to grant clemency for her
husband, since U.S presidents often grant clemency requests from
Thanksgiving through the winter holidays.

The calls to release Pollard have intensified in recent months, with pleas
from lawmakers and former top officials of both U.S. political parties.

Pollard has been hospitalized several times during his time in prison. In
April, he was rushed to a federal hospital outside the prison on the eve of
Passover suffering from an unspecified emergency condition.