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Diab was arrested by the RCMP in November 2008 after he was accused in France of killing four people and injuring dozens more in the synagogue bombing. In March 2009, he was granted bail under strict conditions that included electronic monitoring, a curfew, and a promise not to leave his home unaccompanied. He was not restricted from working.

On July 15, John Osborne, Carleton’s dean of arts and social sciences, emailed Stephen Green, the assistant director of human resources, noting that a sociology professor had taken medical leave and the department was scrambling to find someone to cover an introductory course and was proposing Diab as a replacement.

“Clearly he has the qualifications to step in and teach the course,” said Osborne. “Is there any legal reason to preclude him from doing so?”

In a July 16 response, Green noted that hiring Diab “could cause harm to the reputation of the University.” The email was cc’d to Peter Ricketts, the provost and vice-president. Ricketts responded: “I suspect the threat to the reputation of the university is small unless he were to be extradited while he was teaching the course — which of course would put us back into the same situation we are now in. The concern that this may happen would be another reason to find someone else if at all possible.”

The documents show Osborne signed Diab’s contract on July 16. Diab signed on July 21.

On July 28, this newspaper reported that Diab was toresume teaching at Carleton. Under his bail conditions, he wouldbe required to travel to and from the university with his court-appointed surety and common-law spouse Rania Tfaily. However, once at the university, Tfaily will not be required to remain with Diab. There was immediate reaction, both condemning the hiring and supporting Diab.