From a synagogue bombing in Paris, to an Ottawa classroom 40 years later

Hassan Diab has been found guilty in the 1980 bombing of a Paris synagogue that killed four people and injured dozens more.

This is the second time France has attempted to punish the Lebanese Canadian sociology professor for his alleged role in the attack— the evidence of which has been described as flimsy at best.

Leyland Cecco is a reporter for The Guardian. He said the last time, Diab was extradited and jailed in France before charges were dropped, prompting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to criticize the case and the extradition.

“There’s a lot of frustration that Canada’s Extradition Act doesn’t give much latitude to the people early on who would determine whether or not that case was even a good one. And I think Diab’s case highlights where it falls short.”

But now that a court has convicted, will France ask Canada for Diab a second time? If they do, will Canada comply? Will this case test the relationship between the two countries, and Canada’s policy on extraditions in general?

Listen to the podcast below:

You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify.

You can also find it at thebigstorypodcast.ca.