The federal government has added the Houthis, a Shia Islamist militant group based in Yemen, to Canada’s terrorist list.

In a controversial move, Canada has officially designated Yemen’s Ansarullah (Houthi) movement as a “terrorist entity.” Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc claims the designation is part of Canada’s global fight against terrorism and in alignment with its international allies.

Today’s addition of Ansarallah as a listed terrorist entity contributes to our efforts in fighting terrorism globally and aligning Canada with our allies,' minister says - Anadolu Ajansı

Ansar Allah, the Yemen-based insurgency group better known as “the Houthis,” have been declared a terrorist organization by the government of Canada — nearly a year after the U.S. State Department made the same move.

The designation allows for criminal penalties against any person or group that knowingly deals with a listed entity OTTAWA — Canada has added Ansarallah, better known as the Houthi militant group, to its list of terrorist entities,

The Iran-backed group, officially known as Ansarallah, has contributed to unrest in the Middle East by attacking commercial and naval vessels in the Red Sea for over a year.

"Acts of violent extremism and terrorism have no place in the world and we will continue to take action to curtail the spread of these activities internationally and to counter threats to Canada, its citizens and its interests around the world.

OTTAWA - Canada has added Ansarallah, better known as the Houthi militant group, to its list of terrorist entities, following in the steps of allies like the United States.