The federal Conservatives are calling on Ottawa to designate Kata’ib Hezbollah as a terrorist entity, citing U.S. allegations linking the group to attacks in Canada.
In a letter to Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre urged the federal government to immediately add the group to Canada’s list of terrorist entities.
“Canada should not wait for another synagogue to be shot or another foreign consulate to be attacked before shutting down the terrorist organization allegedly directing these attacks,” Poilievre wrote.
The letter follows terrorism charges laid in the United States against Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, an Iraqi national prosecutors allege is a senior commander of Kata’ib Hezbollah and an operative of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
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As Global News previously reported, U.S. prosecutors allege Al-Saadi helped plan, co-ordinate and claim responsibility for nearly 20 terrorist attacks and attempted attacks across Europe and North America, including the March 10 shooting outside the U.S. Consulate in downtown Toronto and an attack targeting a Canadian synagogue.
The RCMP took over the Toronto investigation shortly after the shooting, describing it as a national security case.
In his letter, Poilievre said Kata’ib Hezbollah has been designated a foreign terrorist organization in the United States since 2009 but remains absent from Canada’s list of terrorist entities.
He argued listing the group would make it illegal to knowingly deal in its property or finances, allow authorities to freeze and seize its assets, and strengthen Canada’s ability to prevent members from entering or remaining in the country.
“The Liberals have failed to enforce Canada’s terrorist laws with the urgency and strength Canadians expect,” Poilievre wrote. “A terrorist listing is only as strong as the action that follows it.”
Beyond listing Kata’ib Hezbollah, Poilievre called on the government to disclose how many people connected to Iran’s regime and its proxy groups have been identified, denied entry, investigated, detained or removed from Canada.
He also asked Ottawa to investigate possible links between Iranian-backed terrorist groups and organized crime in Canada and explain what action authorities are taking in response to the alleged Toronto attacks.
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