Canadian police arrested the main suspect in the 1980 bombing of a synagogue in Paris that killed four people and injured 20 others, France's interior minister said Thursday. Michele Alliot-Marie welcomed the arrest. In a statement, she credited the "excellent cooperation" between French police and intelligence services and Canadian authorities, but did not provide further details on the suspect.
A judicial official identified him as Hassan Diab and said he was detained by police in Quebec on Thursday on an international arrest warrant issued by French anti-terrorist judges investigating the attack. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with judicial policy. Diab, a 55-year-old of Palestinian origin, is a part-time professor at the University of Ottawa. Diab has Lebanese and Canadian passports and lived in the U.S. for several years before moving to Canada, the judicial official said. He was arrested in the city of Gatineau in western Quebec, according to the Web site of French news weekly L'Express. Diab said in an interview with the French daily Le Figaro last month that he was a victim of mistaken identity and had nothing to do with the attack. Anti-terrorist judges Marc Trevidic and Yves Jannier traveled to Canada at the beginning of the week to further their inquiry into the bombing, the judicial official said. Investigators were searching Diab's home and office for clues including DNA samples. On Oct. 3, 1980, a bomb containing pentrite — one of the most powerful high explosives known — and hidden in the saddlebags of a parked motorcycle exploded outside the synagogue of the conservative U.L.I.F. group as hundreds of worshippers were gathered inside for a Sabbath service. Three French men and one Israeli woman were killed. Around 200,000 people later marched through the streets of Paris to protest the attack. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-Special Operations was blamed at the time. Diab's name was on a list of former members of the Palestinian extremist group obtained by German intelligence officials. Be well. Practice big medicine. Hal Information confidentielle : Le présent message, ainsi que tout fichier qui y est joint, est envoyé à l'intention exclusive de son ou de ses destinataires; il est de nature confidentielle et peut constituer une information privilégiée. Toute autre utilisation de ce message et de tout fichier qui y est joint est strictement interdite. Si vous n'êtes pas le destinataire prévu, veuillez en aviser immédiatement l'expéditeur par retour de courriel et supprimer ce message et tout document joint de votre système. Confidentiality Warning: This message and any attachments are intended only for the use of the intended recipient(s), are confidential, and may be privileged. Any other use of this message and any attachments is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail, and delete this message and any attachments from your system. -- Posted By Breaking News to Break News at 11/14/2008 01:51:00 AM
