OTTAWA – An Ottawa university professor charged in the deadly terrorist bombing of a French synagogue nearly 30 years ago is expected to resume teaching this week.
Hassan Diab, who is charged with murdering four people in the 1980 bombing, will begin teaching a part-time introductory sociology course at Carleton University two days a week until the middle of August.
Diab, whose strict bail conditions prevent him from leaving the house alone, will be required to travel to and from the university with his common-law spouse Rania Tfaily, an Ottawa court heard Monday.
But once at the university, Diab will no longer need an escort.
Diab’s lawyer, Rod Sellar, told an Ottawa court Monday Diab will be at Carleton teaching and meeting with students between 1:30 and 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but the course may require him to go to the university almost daily.
Lin Moody, a spokeswoman for Carleton University, confirmed Monday that the school has hired Diab to teach for few weeks this summer. He was given a contract, she said, because of “an unforeseen leave” taken by the instructor who had originally been hired to teach the introductory sociology course.
Diab had taught a similar course before at Carleton, Moody said.
The 55-year-old Lebanese native, who became a Canadian citizen in 1993, has been under virtual house arrest since he was arrested late last year. Conditions of his bail require him to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet, obey a curfew, report to the RCMP regularly and not own a cellphone.
Diab and Tfaily were in court Monday to determine what items seized during RCMP raids of Tfaily’s condominium and her Carleton University office can be sent to French officials as potential evidence in their case against Diab.
Diab and Tfaily intend to argue that the RCMP searches were unlawful and the seized items should not be sent to France.
Federal prosecutors are hoping Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Maranger will grant an order sending some of the items, specifically computer hard drives and USB sticks, to France as soon as possible.