Crime Writers On...20 Feb 2025

The Copernic Affair

In October 1980, a motorcycle packed with explosives went off outside a Paris synagogue, killing four and wounding nearly four dozen others. French investigators gathered evidence the attack was planned by a Palestinian militant group, but the trail for the bomber went cold for years.

Twenty-eight years after the attack on Rue Copernic, French authorities accused a Canadian sociology professor of Lebanese descent of planting the bomb. Hassan Diab proclaimed his innocence, saying their evidence was flawed and circumstantial. It spawned a diplomatic crisis, as Canadian judicial authorities also questioned whether Diab should be turned over to France for trial.

“The Copernic Affair” from Canadaland and House of Many Windows re-examines the controversial terrorism probe. Hosts Dana Ballout and Alex Atack talk to victims, investigators, and Diab himself to make sense of how an unassuming academic with a common name was accused of a horrific crime four decades ago. Is Hassan Diab guilty of an unspeakable act of political violence? Or is he a scapegoat for a failed investigation?

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE COPERNIC AFFAIR" BEGIN IN THE FINAL NINE MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.

This show was recorded in The Caitlin Rogers Project Studio. Click to find out more.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(735)

Secret Mall Apartment

Combing passages within the newly-built Providence Place mall, a group of local artists located an unused, overlooked space within the building. They sneaked in furniture and construction supplies, an...

16 Feb 42min

Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart

The brazen kidnapping of 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart from her bedroom captivated the nation. And when their main suspect died in custody, police feared they’d never learn her fate. But Elizabeth was s...

12 Feb 44min

What Happened in Nashville

Sydney McDowell was preparing for the last steps in her fertility journey. But when she went to Nashville’s Center for Reproductive Health for a final check-up, she learned the clinic was abruptly clo...

9 Feb 47min

Collateral Damage

From no-knock warrants and phony police informants to civil forfeiture and international narcotics interdiction, the US war on drugs has affected more than just traffickers. Its highly provocative met...

5 Feb 42min

Steal

A group of armed thieves force their way into a London investment firm which manages pension funds. In order to move billions of pounds into an offshore account, low-level office worker Zara Dunne is ...

2 Feb 45min

Hell in Heaven

In 2001, a wealthy American couple moved to Costa Rica to build a multimillion-dollar home and wildlife sanctuary in the rain forest. In their lavish estate patrolled by armed guards, John and Ann Ben...

29 Jan 41min

Evil Influencer

When police discovered an emaciated boy covered in wounds and duct tape, they learned he and his sister were being kept in the basement of Jodi Hildebrandt. She had built an online following by promot...

26 Jan 45min

Murder in Monaco

In 1999, billionaire Edmond Safra died in his fortified Monaco penthouse after a chaotic sequence of events. His nurse, Ted Maher, was stabbed by intruders, and the fire he set to summon help consumed...

22 Jan 42min