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

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.