The man known as Carlos the Jackal, who's serving a life sentence for murder in France, has ended a three-week hunger strike in protest against prison conditions.

His lawyer said he took the decision after an appeal by his parents and the leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, George Habash.

Carlos, whose real name is Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, was once the world's most wanted man -- sought in connection with a string of high profile killings, bombings and kidnappings in the 1970s and 80s in support of the Palestinian cause.