Canada urged to designate Iran-backed Kata'ib Hezbollah as terrorist group

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre wrote to Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree urging Ottawa to add the Iran‑backed militant group Kata'ib Hezbollah to Canada’s list of terrorist entities. Poilievre cited U.S. authorities’ allegations that the group and its alleged commander, Iraqi national Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al‑Saadi, directed attacks on Canadian soil, including the March shooting at the U.S. consulate in Toronto and an assault on a Toronto synagogue.

Al‑Saadi faces charges in a Manhattan federal court for plotting at least 18 terror attacks across Europe and North America. Kata'ib Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the United States since 2009. Poilievre argued that listing the group would make it illegal to handle its assets, allow authorities to freeze or seize property, and strengthen Canada’s ability to prevent members from entering or remaining in the country. The Centre for Israeli and Jewish Affairs welcomed the request.