Canada to extradite accused Paris bomber to France
OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canada’s top court refused yesterday to hear a university professor’s final plea to halt his extradition to France, effectively ensuring he will face trial for the 1980 bombing of a Paris synagogue.
The decision brings to an end 60-year-old Hassan Diab’s six-year legal battle to avoid what he said would be an unfair prosecution in France for a crime he insists he did not commit.
The Supreme Court of Canada issued its decision in a online statement, saying his appeal of a lower court ruling and the government’s extradition order was “dismissed without costs”.
Diab, who was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon pending the announcement, could now be flown to France at any time.
A spokeswoman for Canada’s justice department said it has 45 days to surrender Diab, and is arranging his travel with French authorities.
French sources told AFP a police escort would arrive in Ottawa soon to bring Diab to Paris, where he will be questioned by an investigating judge before criminal proceedings can begin.
If he is convicted, Diab, a sociologist, could face life in prison.