An Ottawa professor has been ordered extradited to France, where he faces charges related to the 1980 bombing of a synagogue in Paris that killed four people.

Justice Minister Rob Nicholson issued the extradition order last week against Hassan Diab, who formerly taught sociology at two Ottawa universities.

The RCMP arrested Diab in November 2008 in response to a request by France. An Ontario court ruled to extradite him last year.

His lawyer, Donald Bayne, called the decision to extradite his client a denial of basic legal and human rights. He said they would take the case to the Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada, if necessary.

The terrorist bombing in central Paris killed four passersby, and many others inside and outside the synagogue were injured.

The Lebanese-born Diab, a Canadian citizen, has denied any role in the attack, claiming he is the victim of mistaken identity.

“We expected this decision but not this way,” Diab told the Ottawa Citizen. “We expected the minister to address our points, which he did not. He just ignored them and rendered his decision based on his political beliefs more than anything else.”

Diab’s lawyer says a key plank in the appeal will be a written admission from Paris that authorities have not yet finished investigating the synagogue bombing. He said a Canadian citizen can only be extradited if he or she is wanted for trial, not “for the purpose of continuing an investigation to determine whether or not there will ever be a trial.”

Shimon Fogel, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), said “Canada’s co-operation [with France] is appropriate and reasonable given the evidence sent by France, which met the criteria for extradition between here and France.

“Treaties like this are between governments. It’s not a partisan that has put forward the request for extradition. It’s a sovereign state.”

“We’re supportive of the judicial process that’s underway. The government clearly had enough evidence to move forward with the extradition process,” he added.

Diab’s lawyer saw it differently. “This is a disappointing decision that politically I’m sure the minister found difficult to make in favour of Dr. Diab,” Bayne told the Citizen. “It would have taken a great deal of political courage for him to do the right thing.”