A former University of Ottawa professor wanted in connection with a 1980 terrorist bombing is expected to learn today whether or not he will be extradited to France to face prosecution.
Hassan Diab, 57, a Lebanese-born Canadian, faces murder and attempted murder charges in France for his alleged role in the bombing of a Parisian synagogue on Oct. 3, 1980.
Crown prosecutors allege that Diab was a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine when he helped arrange the synagogue bombing, which killed four people and injured more than 40.
Speaking through his lawyer at the start of his extradition hearing in November 2010, Diab said the evidence presented against him by French authorities relied on "secret, un-sourced intelligence."
"I am innocent of the charges against me," Diab said in a statement. "I hope this extradition hearing will end the witch-hunt atmosphere I have been living under for the past three years."
But his supporters said Friday they feared Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Maranger will clear the way for his extradition, pointing to the judge's rejection earlier this year of defence arguments to exclude key handwriting evidence in the case.
"The judge has signalled that he is likely to rule in favour of committal because Canada's extradition law does not allow him to discard the handwriting evidence, even though he described it as 'very problematic,' 'very confusing,' and riddled with 'suspect conclusions,'" they said in a statement.
France claims there is a resemblance between samples of Diab's handwriting and five words printed in simplistic block letters on a Paris hotel registration card believed to have been signed by the bomber in 1980.Three handwriting experts testified that the French analysis was flawed and did not match Diab's mark.According to both defence and Crown attorneys, only five extradition requests have ever been quashed by Canadian judges in the past.A final decision, however, rests with Justice Minister Rob Nicholson.
France alleges Diab was a member of a Palestinian extremist group believed to have planted a bomb in a motorcycle saddlebag outside the Copernic Street synagogue in the posh 16th arrondissement of Paris on Oct. 3, 1980. It was the first fatal attack against the French Jewish community since the Nazi occupation during the Second World War.
French authorities issued a warrant in November 2007 for Diab's arrest, following a lead from German intelligence. Investigators also say Diab resembles police composites of a suspect sketched at the time.
Diab claims he is the victim of mistaken identity and insists that he was a student in Beirut at the time. He also denied any links to extremist organizations.
The former sociology professor was released on strict bail conditions in 2009 while awaiting the court's decision on his extradition.
If convicted of the bombing, he could face life in prison.