Jewish groups upset convicted synagogue bomber remains free in Canada

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A Jewish advocacy group says it is an “abuse of process” that a former Carleton University professor convicted in the 1980 bombing outside a Paris synagogue has not been extradited to France.

Hassan Diab, who worked in the Ottawa-based university’s sociology department, has made headlines since he was sentenced in France to life in prison in 2023. He was convicted in absentia of terrorism charges and an international arrest warrant was issued for him.

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The case gained the attention of tech billionaire Elon Musk in January. Musk quoted a November 2024 post on X by Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. Poilievre wrote that Diab was “working as a professor teaching students about ‘social justice action” and asked why he hadn’t been extradited to France to “face justice.”

In January, Diab was reportedly no longer teaching at Carleton University. The university said he was a “former part-time contract instructor who taught a course at the university last fall” and that he is not in their employment.

Diab spoke out to The Guardian in an article published on Tuesday. He said he was fearful of another “extradition fight” as Canada’s leadership is set to change.

“I just have to be careful. It’s like you are living in constant fear. It’s not easy, it’s like waiting for a ghost to appear from somewhere,” Diab said.

Later, he added, referring to a possible second extradition: “That’s the sword above your head, waiting to fall.”

Vice President of External Affairs and General Counsel for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs Richard Marceau told the National Post in an emailed statement that Diab remaining free in Canada is unacceptable.

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“He was afforded every protection under French and European law and was found guilty by an independent court of law of carrying out the 1980 bombing of the Rue Copernic synagogue in Paris, which killed four people and injured many others,” said Marceau.

“It is an abuse of process that Diab has not been returned to France. Justice must be upheld. At a time of rising antisemitism, allowing a convicted perpetrator of a deadly antisemitic attack to remain in Canada is indefensible. Diab must be held accountable and extradited to France to serve his life sentence.”

Director of Research and Advocacy for B’nai Brith Canada Richard Robertson said Diab’s conviction “represented a long-awaited step towards bringing closure to the victims.”

“The delays in holding accountable those responsible for what is known as the darkest day for French Jews since the Holocaust has only exacerbated the wounds caused by the attack. The passage of time should not allow the perpetrator of such a horrific antisemitic terror attack to escape justice,” he said in a statement to the National Post.

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“If the French government seeks Diab’s extradition and his extradition is authorized by a Justice in Canada, it is our expectation that Canada will honour its treaty with France and extradite Diab to France.”

The fatal bombing took place outside of the Rue Copernic synagogue in Paris’ 16th arrondissement, the Associated Press reported. The device was attached to a motorcycle and detonated on the evening of Oct. 3, 1980.

The request to extradite Diab came nearly three decades after from the French government. Diab was arrested in Canada in 2008 and released on bail months later. At the time, he was teaching at two universities in the Ottawa area, according to an independent review of his extradition by the Canadian federal government.

In 2014, Diab was extradited to France. After a three-year detainment, he did not face trial and returned to Canada.

Diab’s case has been criticized by his supporters for being unjust and lacking in evidence. However, Jewish advocacy groups have shared their concerns about him, especially while he worked as a professor at Carleton University.

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B’nai Brith Canada wrote an open letter about their “increasing alarm” over his position there in November 2024.

Diab remains in Canada and it is not clear whether France has requested his second extradition in order to serve out his sentence. In an emailed statement to the National Post, the Department of Justice said that “extradition requests are confidential state-to-state communications.” The department said it “cannot comment on the existence of any potential request unless made public by the courts.”

An advocacy group in support of Diab, the Hassan Diab Support Committee, maintains his innocence and said in a written statement in January: “Canada must not be party to this injustice and must state urgently and unequivocally that Hassan Diab will not be subjected to a second extradition.”

Diab’s lawyer Donald Bayne did not respond to a request for comment.

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