BUENOS AIRES (JTA) — Six former Argentine army sergeants have been released from jail after an appeals court ruled in their favor and dismissed charges that they participated in the July 18, 1994 terror bombing of the Jewish headquarters here.

The six were arrested last December after the official in charge of the bombing case, Judge Juan Jose Galeano, ordered a raid on army bases and private homes in suburbs near here.

The arrests of the six gave credence to the theory that right-wing military cells were involved in the terrorist attack on the Argentine Jewish Mutual Aid Association, or AMIA building, that left 86 dead and 300 wounded.

Galeano charged the six with being accessories to the terrorist attack and with planning to sell firearms and some 130 pounds of plastic explosives that were found in their possession.

But last Friday, a superior court here rejected the first charge and ordered the release of the six detainees on bail.

South Africa denies Hezbollah activities

JERUSALEM (JTA) — South African officials are looking into reports that the Hezbollah has training camps in that country.

South African Ambassador Malcom Ferguson met Monday of last week with Foreign Ministry senior deputy director-general Eitan Bentsur after Israel Radio reported that there are five such camps on South African soil.

Parks Mankahlana, a spokesman for South African President Nelson Mandela, denied the reports, calling them "just unthinkable."

The Foreign Ministry later publicly denied that a "protest" had been lodged with South Africa and said Israel had requested clarifications about the activities of extremist Islamic organizations, including Hezbollah, in South Africa.

French judge removed from cemetery case

PARIS (JTA) — A French judge investigating the 1990 desecration of a centuries-old Jewish cemetery in the southern town of Carpentras has been withdrawn from the case.

As part of the desecration, a corpse was unearthed and impaled on a beach umbrella.

The removal of the judge came after her six-year probe failed to produce any suspects.

Requests for a new judge were made by the public prosecutor as well as by the lawyer of a relative of the deceased, who criticized the "absence of serious investigations."