Trudeau congratulates Syrian interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa despite terrorist listing

Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known by nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, speaks at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Omar Albam)

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau congratulated Syria’s interim president today, despite him leading a group Canada still designates as a terrorist organization.

Ahmed al-Sharaa leads Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a group Canada has listed as a terrorist organization since 2013.

That group, often called HTS, toppled the regime of Bashar al-Assad last December, ending a brutal dictatorship that was supported by the Russian government.

Al-Sharaa now leads the country and has hinted at aiming for a multicultural society, despite pledging for years to install an Islamic theocracy.

Trudeau’s office says he spoke today with Al-Sharaa, and “offered congratulations on the success of ending the Assad regime.”

The Prime Minister’s Office has been asked whether Canada plans to remove HTS from the terror listing.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 13, 2025.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press