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No more house arrest for ISIS bride repatriated from Syria
Author of the article:Michele Mandel
Published Oct 19, 2023 • 3 minute read
When ISIS bride Dure Ahmed left Toronto for the caliphate in Syria, she insists she had no clue what her notorious husband was up to, including the kidnapping and savage beheading of American journalist James Foley.
According to a recent interview she gave to the CBC and BBC, Ahmed claims she was “oblivious to what was going on” while her then-British husband El Shafee Elsheikh was committing atrocities as part of the British-accented ISIS terror cell known as “the Beatles.”
It’s hard to believe.
Yet lucky us, here she is back on Canadian soil with more freedom just granted under the restrictions of a terrorism peace bond issued on Thursday in Brampton by Ontario Court Justice Reginald Cornelius.
No longer under her bail condition of house arrest, the mother of two can now leave her home between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. and will be able to have a laptop computer as long as she consents to the RCMP monitoring her activity through a tracking application called EverAccountable.
Ahmed must still wear a GPS ankle bracelet.
The judge agreed with federal Crown Marie Comiskey that there was a “reasonable basis to fear” Ahmed may commit terrorism offences by way of indoctrinating others given the long time she spent with high-ranking ISIS leaders, including her ex-husband, and then in the radical breeding grounds of the Syrian displacement camps.
But here she is.
In January, Ottawa agreed to bring home six Canadian women and 13 children from the Kurdish prison camp for ISIS families in Syria and in return their families dropped their federal court case accusing the government of violating their charter rights by leaving them there for years.
Repatriated in April and arrested when she arrived in Canada, Ahmed was freed on bail a few days later under strict house arrest conditions as she awaited the terrorism peace bond hearing that finally took place earlier this week.
It was only then that we learned how close she was to the ISIS leadership.
Captured in January 2018, her ex-husband, known as Jihadi Ringo, was sentenced last year to life imprisonment in the U.S. for his role in the heinous hostage-taking and beheadings of American, British, and Japanese citizens in the name of ISIS.
For her part, Ahmed was featured in a CNN report in 2019 claiming she didn’t know about the evils of the Islamic State when she followed Elsheikh to Syria in 2014, despite being a Middle Eastern studies graduate.
But she had no regrets at that time. “It was an easy life,” she told CNN. Asked if she knew anything of mass executions or Yezidi women enslaved and slaughtered by ISIS, Ahmed said she’d “briefly” heard about it.
“Well, having slaves is part of Shariah,” she shrugged. “I believe in Shariah, wherever Shariah is. We must follow whoever is implementing the way, the law.”
Now she’s singing a different song for a CBC/BBC podcast team: She was just a “dumb girl in love” when she agreed to join her husband and despite the rest of the world knowing about the horror of ISIS beheadings, Ahmed insisted she knew nothing.
She also says Elsheikh abused her and while she tried to run away many times, she told the Bloodlines podcast reporters that she only managed to leave after he divorced her.
The judge obviously believes she remains enough of a public safety concern that he’s blocked her from using social media and curtailed her internet usage. She also must “actively engage” with the RCMP Specialized Investigative Intervention Team for counselling to counter violent extremism.
Ahmed is barred from associating with anyone tied to terrorism and/or ISIS, including her ex-husband and her fellow ISIS brides including Ammara Amjad, who was arrested earlier this month for alleged participation in activities in support of a listed terror group.
She can’t access any videos, lectures or media reports related to any terror group and is not allowed to possess any weapons, travel documents or drive a vehicle.
But she should count herself lucky. In Britain, ISIS brides are stripped of their citizenship. But here, as Justin Trudeau once declared, “A Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian.”
mmandel@postmedia.com
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Michele Mandel
Published Oct 19, 2023 • 3 minute read
When ISIS bride Dure Ahmed left Toronto for the caliphate in Syria, she insists she had no clue what her notorious husband was up to, including the kidnapping and savage beheading of American journalist James Foley.
According to a recent interview she gave to the CBC and BBC, Ahmed claims she was “oblivious to what was going on” while her then-British husband El Shafee Elsheikh was committing atrocities as part of the British-accented ISIS terror cell known as “the Beatles.”
It’s hard to believe.
Yet lucky us, here she is back on Canadian soil with more freedom just granted under the restrictions of a terrorism peace bond issued on Thursday in Brampton by Ontario Court Justice Reginald Cornelius.
No longer under her bail condition of house arrest, the mother of two can now leave her home between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. and will be able to have a laptop computer as long as she consents to the RCMP monitoring her activity through a tracking application called EverAccountable.
Ahmed must still wear a GPS ankle bracelet.
The judge agreed with federal Crown Marie Comiskey that there was a “reasonable basis to fear” Ahmed may commit terrorism offences by way of indoctrinating others given the long time she spent with high-ranking ISIS leaders, including her ex-husband, and then in the radical breeding grounds of the Syrian displacement camps.
But here she is.
In January, Ottawa agreed to bring home six Canadian women and 13 children from the Kurdish prison camp for ISIS families in Syria and in return their families dropped their federal court case accusing the government of violating their charter rights by leaving them there for years.
Repatriated in April and arrested when she arrived in Canada, Ahmed was freed on bail a few days later under strict house arrest conditions as she awaited the terrorism peace bond hearing that finally took place earlier this week.
It was only then that we learned how close she was to the ISIS leadership.
Captured in January 2018, her ex-husband, known as Jihadi Ringo, was sentenced last year to life imprisonment in the U.S. for his role in the heinous hostage-taking and beheadings of American, British, and Japanese citizens in the name of ISIS.
For her part, Ahmed was featured in a CNN report in 2019 claiming she didn’t know about the evils of the Islamic State when she followed Elsheikh to Syria in 2014, despite being a Middle Eastern studies graduate.
But she had no regrets at that time. “It was an easy life,” she told CNN. Asked if she knew anything of mass executions or Yezidi women enslaved and slaughtered by ISIS, Ahmed said she’d “briefly” heard about it.
“Well, having slaves is part of Shariah,” she shrugged. “I believe in Shariah, wherever Shariah is. We must follow whoever is implementing the way, the law.”
Now she’s singing a different song for a CBC/BBC podcast team: She was just a “dumb girl in love” when she agreed to join her husband and despite the rest of the world knowing about the horror of ISIS beheadings, Ahmed insisted she knew nothing.
She also says Elsheikh abused her and while she tried to run away many times, she told the Bloodlines podcast reporters that she only managed to leave after he divorced her.
The judge obviously believes she remains enough of a public safety concern that he’s blocked her from using social media and curtailed her internet usage. She also must “actively engage” with the RCMP Specialized Investigative Intervention Team for counselling to counter violent extremism.
Ahmed is barred from associating with anyone tied to terrorism and/or ISIS, including her ex-husband and her fellow ISIS brides including Ammara Amjad, who was arrested earlier this month for alleged participation in activities in support of a listed terror group.
She can’t access any videos, lectures or media reports related to any terror group and is not allowed to possess any weapons, travel documents or drive a vehicle.
But she should count herself lucky. In Britain, ISIS brides are stripped of their citizenship. But here, as Justin Trudeau once declared, “A Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian.”
mmandel@postmedia.com
MANDEL: No more house arrest for ISIS bride repatriated from Syria
Under the terrorism peace bond she signed in Brampton, Dure Ahmed must wear an ankle bracelet, abide by a curfew and stay off social media.
I suppose that Trudeau also considers the people who were celebrating the death of Jewish women & children are also Canadians (sic)No more house arrest for ISIS bride repatriated from Syria
Author of the article:Michele Mandel
Published Oct 19, 2023 • 3 minute read
When ISIS bride Dure Ahmed left Toronto for the caliphate in Syria, she insists she had no clue what her notorious husband was up to, including the kidnapping and savage beheading of American journalist James Foley.
According to a recent interview she gave to the CBC and BBC, Ahmed claims she was “oblivious to what was going on” while her then-British husband El Shafee Elsheikh was committing atrocities as part of the British-accented ISIS terror cell known as “the Beatles.”
It’s hard to believe.
Yet lucky us, here she is back on Canadian soil with more freedom just granted under the restrictions of a terrorism peace bond issued on Thursday in Brampton by Ontario Court Justice Reginald Cornelius.
No longer under her bail condition of house arrest, the mother of two can now leave her home between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. and will be able to have a laptop computer as long as she consents to the RCMP monitoring her activity through a tracking application called EverAccountable.
Ahmed must still wear a GPS ankle bracelet.
The judge agreed with federal Crown Marie Comiskey that there was a “reasonable basis to fear” Ahmed may commit terrorism offences by way of indoctrinating others given the long time she spent with high-ranking ISIS leaders, including her ex-husband, and then in the radical breeding grounds of the Syrian displacement camps.
But here she is.
In January, Ottawa agreed to bring home six Canadian women and 13 children from the Kurdish prison camp for ISIS families in Syria and in return their families dropped their federal court case accusing the government of violating their charter rights by leaving them there for years.
Repatriated in April and arrested when she arrived in Canada, Ahmed was freed on bail a few days later under strict house arrest conditions as she awaited the terrorism peace bond hearing that finally took place earlier this week.
It was only then that we learned how close she was to the ISIS leadership.
Captured in January 2018, her ex-husband, known as Jihadi Ringo, was sentenced last year to life imprisonment in the U.S. for his role in the heinous hostage-taking and beheadings of American, British, and Japanese citizens in the name of ISIS.
For her part, Ahmed was featured in a CNN report in 2019 claiming she didn’t know about the evils of the Islamic State when she followed Elsheikh to Syria in 2014, despite being a Middle Eastern studies graduate.
But she had no regrets at that time. “It was an easy life,” she told CNN. Asked if she knew anything of mass executions or Yezidi women enslaved and slaughtered by ISIS, Ahmed said she’d “briefly” heard about it.
“Well, having slaves is part of Shariah,” she shrugged. “I believe in Shariah, wherever Shariah is. We must follow whoever is implementing the way, the law.”
Now she’s singing a different song for a CBC/BBC podcast team: She was just a “dumb girl in love” when she agreed to join her husband and despite the rest of the world knowing about the horror of ISIS beheadings, Ahmed insisted she knew nothing.
She also says Elsheikh abused her and while she tried to run away many times, she told the Bloodlines podcast reporters that she only managed to leave after he divorced her.
The judge obviously believes she remains enough of a public safety concern that he’s blocked her from using social media and curtailed her internet usage. She also must “actively engage” with the RCMP Specialized Investigative Intervention Team for counselling to counter violent extremism.
Ahmed is barred from associating with anyone tied to terrorism and/or ISIS, including her ex-husband and her fellow ISIS brides including Ammara Amjad, who was arrested earlier this month for alleged participation in activities in support of a listed terror group.
She can’t access any videos, lectures or media reports related to any terror group and is not allowed to possess any weapons, travel documents or drive a vehicle.
But she should count herself lucky. In Britain, ISIS brides are stripped of their citizenship. But here, as Justin Trudeau once declared, “A Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian.”
mmandel@postmedia.com
MANDEL: No more house arrest for ISIS bride repatriated from Syria
Under the terrorism peace bond she signed in Brampton, Dure Ahmed must wear an ankle bracelet, abide by a curfew and stay off social media.
Calgary ISIS supporter pleads guilty to terrorism charge, had bomb-making instructions, court told
Author of the article:Kevin Martin
Published Dec 01, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read
Mounties investigating a Calgary terrorism suspect found handwritten instructions in his bedroom on how to make a bomb, court heard Friday.
Zakarya Rida Hussein, 20, pleaded guilty in Calgary Court of Justice to a charge of facilitating a terrorist activity.
Crown prosecutor Kent Brown, reading from a statement of agreed facts, told Justice Harry Van Harten that following Hussein’s arrest last June 15, police conducted a search of his home and vehicle.
Among the items seized, Brown said, was a “notebook containing handwritten notes with step-by-step instructions for making an improvised explosive device.”
Brown said investigators then consulted with the RCMP explosive disposal unit and the trace evidence chemistry group of RCMP National Forensic Laboratory Services.
That consultation “determined that the handwritten instructions located in the accused’s room appeared to be a viable and accurate means for the creation of a homemade explosive, as was the description in the instructions to fabricate a detonator,” Brown said.
The agreed facts, signed by Hussein and defence counsel Alain Hepner, also noted the offender “used his Telegram account to send an unknown user an ISIS video that explained how to make a bomb at home.
“The user responded asking about the size of the explosion and the accused said it was like a grenade. The instructions in the ISIS video matched the handwritten instructions that were seized from the accused’s bedroom.”
Brown also told Van Harten that on May 14, Hussein “knowingly facilitated terrorist activity by posting an ISIS recruitment video to TikTok.”
Among the comments Hussein’s video generated was one user stating: “Beheading and killing infidel soldiers is permitted in combat. So is enslaving the kuffar (disbeliever) soldier women,” the prosecutor said.
An RCMP expert on extremism “determined that the video was produced by al-Risalah Media, an extremist supporting media front,” Brown told court.
LGBTQ+ community, United Conservative Party also targeted
Hussein also spoke of targeting members of the LGBTQ+ community.
On June 1, he posted in a chat on Snapchat: “Tomorrow my mission begins. It’s pride month. I’ve been waiting,” Brown said.
“The accused then referenced two different types of explosive devices.”
Eight days later, Hussein shared a video to a group chat “of men being thrown off buildings and then being stoned. The video contained extremist ideological interpretations that encouraged the killing of gay men.”
Hussein also posted other ISIS videos, including ones showing mass executions and beheadings, Brown said.
Hussein also showed his wrath toward the United Conservative Party, replying to a March 2 automated message asking for his support by saying: “I’m gonna do a terrorist attack on you guys.”
Apparently undeterred, the party sent another automated message a month later asking if they could put up a sign at his home.
“He replied, ‘I’ll blow you guys up with explosives,’ ” Brown said.
At Hepner’s request, Van Harten ordered a psychiatric risk assessment on the offender at the Southern Alberta Forensic Psychiatry Centre.
Hepner asked the judge to recommend the assessment be conducted by psychologist Dr. Patrick Baillie.
A date for sentencing submissions will be set Dec. 19.
Hussein remains in custody pending resolution to the case.
KMartin@postmedia.com
X: @KMartinCourts
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Kevin Martin
Published Dec 01, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read
Mounties investigating a Calgary terrorism suspect found handwritten instructions in his bedroom on how to make a bomb, court heard Friday.
Zakarya Rida Hussein, 20, pleaded guilty in Calgary Court of Justice to a charge of facilitating a terrorist activity.
Crown prosecutor Kent Brown, reading from a statement of agreed facts, told Justice Harry Van Harten that following Hussein’s arrest last June 15, police conducted a search of his home and vehicle.
Among the items seized, Brown said, was a “notebook containing handwritten notes with step-by-step instructions for making an improvised explosive device.”
Brown said investigators then consulted with the RCMP explosive disposal unit and the trace evidence chemistry group of RCMP National Forensic Laboratory Services.
That consultation “determined that the handwritten instructions located in the accused’s room appeared to be a viable and accurate means for the creation of a homemade explosive, as was the description in the instructions to fabricate a detonator,” Brown said.
The agreed facts, signed by Hussein and defence counsel Alain Hepner, also noted the offender “used his Telegram account to send an unknown user an ISIS video that explained how to make a bomb at home.
“The user responded asking about the size of the explosion and the accused said it was like a grenade. The instructions in the ISIS video matched the handwritten instructions that were seized from the accused’s bedroom.”
Brown also told Van Harten that on May 14, Hussein “knowingly facilitated terrorist activity by posting an ISIS recruitment video to TikTok.”
Among the comments Hussein’s video generated was one user stating: “Beheading and killing infidel soldiers is permitted in combat. So is enslaving the kuffar (disbeliever) soldier women,” the prosecutor said.
An RCMP expert on extremism “determined that the video was produced by al-Risalah Media, an extremist supporting media front,” Brown told court.
LGBTQ+ community, United Conservative Party also targeted
Hussein also spoke of targeting members of the LGBTQ+ community.
On June 1, he posted in a chat on Snapchat: “Tomorrow my mission begins. It’s pride month. I’ve been waiting,” Brown said.
“The accused then referenced two different types of explosive devices.”
Eight days later, Hussein shared a video to a group chat “of men being thrown off buildings and then being stoned. The video contained extremist ideological interpretations that encouraged the killing of gay men.”
Hussein also posted other ISIS videos, including ones showing mass executions and beheadings, Brown said.
Hussein also showed his wrath toward the United Conservative Party, replying to a March 2 automated message asking for his support by saying: “I’m gonna do a terrorist attack on you guys.”
Apparently undeterred, the party sent another automated message a month later asking if they could put up a sign at his home.
“He replied, ‘I’ll blow you guys up with explosives,’ ” Brown said.
At Hepner’s request, Van Harten ordered a psychiatric risk assessment on the offender at the Southern Alberta Forensic Psychiatry Centre.
Hepner asked the judge to recommend the assessment be conducted by psychologist Dr. Patrick Baillie.
A date for sentencing submissions will be set Dec. 19.
Hussein remains in custody pending resolution to the case.
KMartin@postmedia.com
X: @KMartinCourts
Calgary ISIS supporter pleads guilty on terrorism charge, had bomb-making instructions, court told
Calgarian Zakarya Rida Hussein, who pleaded guilty Friday to a terrorism charged linked to support for ISIS, had bomb-making instructions.
Because we haven't given them their $10 million dollars yet.
Yup & the LGBT er al support these monsters. How fitting!Calgary ISIS supporter pleads guilty to terrorism charge, had bomb-making instructions, court told
Author of the article:Kevin Martin
Published Dec 01, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read
Mounties investigating a Calgary terrorism suspect found handwritten instructions in his bedroom on how to make a bomb, court heard Friday.
Zakarya Rida Hussein, 20, pleaded guilty in Calgary Court of Justice to a charge of facilitating a terrorist activity.
Crown prosecutor Kent Brown, reading from a statement of agreed facts, told Justice Harry Van Harten that following Hussein’s arrest last June 15, police conducted a search of his home and vehicle.
Among the items seized, Brown said, was a “notebook containing handwritten notes with step-by-step instructions for making an improvised explosive device.”
Brown said investigators then consulted with the RCMP explosive disposal unit and the trace evidence chemistry group of RCMP National Forensic Laboratory Services.
That consultation “determined that the handwritten instructions located in the accused’s room appeared to be a viable and accurate means for the creation of a homemade explosive, as was the description in the instructions to fabricate a detonator,” Brown said.
The agreed facts, signed by Hussein and defence counsel Alain Hepner, also noted the offender “used his Telegram account to send an unknown user an ISIS video that explained how to make a bomb at home.
“The user responded asking about the size of the explosion and the accused said it was like a grenade. The instructions in the ISIS video matched the handwritten instructions that were seized from the accused’s bedroom.”
Brown also told Van Harten that on May 14, Hussein “knowingly facilitated terrorist activity by posting an ISIS recruitment video to TikTok.”
Among the comments Hussein’s video generated was one user stating: “Beheading and killing infidel soldiers is permitted in combat. So is enslaving the kuffar (disbeliever) soldier women,” the prosecutor said.
An RCMP expert on extremism “determined that the video was produced by al-Risalah Media, an extremist supporting media front,” Brown told court.
LGBTQ+ community, United Conservative Party also targeted
Hussein also spoke of targeting members of the LGBTQ+ community.
On June 1, he posted in a chat on Snapchat: “Tomorrow my mission begins. It’s pride month. I’ve been waiting,” Brown said.
“The accused then referenced two different types of explosive devices.”
Eight days later, Hussein shared a video to a group chat “of men being thrown off buildings and then being stoned. The video contained extremist ideological interpretations that encouraged the killing of gay men.”
Hussein also posted other ISIS videos, including ones showing mass executions and beheadings, Brown said.
Hussein also showed his wrath toward the United Conservative Party, replying to a March 2 automated message asking for his support by saying: “I’m gonna do a terrorist attack on you guys.”
Apparently undeterred, the party sent another automated message a month later asking if they could put up a sign at his home.
“He replied, ‘I’ll blow you guys up with explosives,’ ” Brown said.
At Hepner’s request, Van Harten ordered a psychiatric risk assessment on the offender at the Southern Alberta Forensic Psychiatry Centre.
Hepner asked the judge to recommend the assessment be conducted by psychologist Dr. Patrick Baillie.
A date for sentencing submissions will be set Dec. 19.
Hussein remains in custody pending resolution to the case.
KMartin@postmedia.com
X: @KMartinCourts
Calgary ISIS supporter pleads guilty on terrorism charge, had bomb-making instructions, court told
Calgarian Zakarya Rida Hussein, who pleaded guilty Friday to a terrorism charged linked to support for ISIS, had bomb-making instructions.
IS bride stuck in Syrian refugee camp loses her appeal over the removal of her U.K. citizenship
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Pan Pylas
Published Feb 23, 2024 • Last updated 2 days ago • 3 minute read
LONDON — A woman who travelled to Syria as a teenager to join the Islamic State group lost her appeal Friday against the British government’s decision to revoke her U.K. citizenship, with judges saying that it wasn’t for them to rule on whether it was “harsh” to do so.
Shamima Begum, who is now 24, was 15 when she and two other girls fled from London in February 2015 to marry IS fighters in Syria at a time when the group’s online recruitment program lured many impressionable young people to its self-proclaimed caliphate. Begum married a Dutch man fighting for IS and had three children, who all died.
Authorities withdrew her British citizenship soon after she surfaced in a Syrian refugee camp in 2019, where she has been ever since. Last year, Begum lost her appeal against the decision at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, a tribunal which hears challenges to decisions to remove British citizenship on national security grounds.
Her lawyers brought a further bid to overturn that decision at the Court of Appeal, with Britain’s Home Office opposing the challenge.
All three judges dismissed her case and argued she had made a “calculated” decision to join IS even though she may have been “influenced and manipulated by others.”
In relaying the ruling, Chief Justice Sue Carr said it wasn’t the court’s job to decide whether the decision to strip Begum of her British citizenship was “harsh” or whether she was the “author of her own misfortune.”
She said the court’s sole task was to assess whether the decision to strip Begum of her citizenship was unlawful.
“Since it was not, Ms. Begum’s appeal is dismissed,” the judge added.
Carr said any arguments over the consequences of the unanimous judgment, which could include a bid to appeal at Britain’s Supreme Court, will be adjourned for seven days.
Begum’s lawyer indicated that a further challenge was on the cards.
“I think the only thing we can really say for certainty is that we are going to keep fighting,” Daniel Furner said outside the Royal Courts of Justice.
“I want to say that I’m sorry to Shamima and to her family that after five years of fighting she still hasn’t received justice in a British court and to promise her and promise the government that we are not going to stop fighting until she does get justice and until she is safely back home,” he added.
Begum’s legal team argued that the decision by Britain’s then interior minister Sajid Javid, left her stateless and that she should have been treated as a child trafficking victim, not a security risk.
Javid said he welcomed the ruling which “upheld” his decision.
“This is a complex case but home secretaries should have the power to prevent anyone entering our country who is assessed to pose a threat to it,” he said.
Britain’s Conservative government claimed she could seek a Bangladeshi passport based on family ties. But Begum’s family argued that she was from the U.K. and never held a Bangladeshi passport.
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the government will “always take the strongest possible action to protect our national security and we never take decisions around deprivation (of citizenship) lightly.”
A number of campaigners voiced their disappointment after the ruling and said the solution rests with the government shouldering its responsibility.
” It is now a political problem, and the government holds the key to solving it,” said Maya Foa, director of the Reprieve humans right campaign group. “If the government thinks that Shamima Begum has committed a crime, she should be prosecuted in a British court. Citizenship stripping is not the answer.”
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Pan Pylas
Published Feb 23, 2024 • Last updated 2 days ago • 3 minute read
LONDON — A woman who travelled to Syria as a teenager to join the Islamic State group lost her appeal Friday against the British government’s decision to revoke her U.K. citizenship, with judges saying that it wasn’t for them to rule on whether it was “harsh” to do so.
Shamima Begum, who is now 24, was 15 when she and two other girls fled from London in February 2015 to marry IS fighters in Syria at a time when the group’s online recruitment program lured many impressionable young people to its self-proclaimed caliphate. Begum married a Dutch man fighting for IS and had three children, who all died.
Authorities withdrew her British citizenship soon after she surfaced in a Syrian refugee camp in 2019, where she has been ever since. Last year, Begum lost her appeal against the decision at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, a tribunal which hears challenges to decisions to remove British citizenship on national security grounds.
Her lawyers brought a further bid to overturn that decision at the Court of Appeal, with Britain’s Home Office opposing the challenge.
All three judges dismissed her case and argued she had made a “calculated” decision to join IS even though she may have been “influenced and manipulated by others.”
In relaying the ruling, Chief Justice Sue Carr said it wasn’t the court’s job to decide whether the decision to strip Begum of her British citizenship was “harsh” or whether she was the “author of her own misfortune.”
She said the court’s sole task was to assess whether the decision to strip Begum of her citizenship was unlawful.
“Since it was not, Ms. Begum’s appeal is dismissed,” the judge added.
Carr said any arguments over the consequences of the unanimous judgment, which could include a bid to appeal at Britain’s Supreme Court, will be adjourned for seven days.
Begum’s lawyer indicated that a further challenge was on the cards.
“I think the only thing we can really say for certainty is that we are going to keep fighting,” Daniel Furner said outside the Royal Courts of Justice.
“I want to say that I’m sorry to Shamima and to her family that after five years of fighting she still hasn’t received justice in a British court and to promise her and promise the government that we are not going to stop fighting until she does get justice and until she is safely back home,” he added.
Begum’s legal team argued that the decision by Britain’s then interior minister Sajid Javid, left her stateless and that she should have been treated as a child trafficking victim, not a security risk.
Javid said he welcomed the ruling which “upheld” his decision.
“This is a complex case but home secretaries should have the power to prevent anyone entering our country who is assessed to pose a threat to it,” he said.
Britain’s Conservative government claimed she could seek a Bangladeshi passport based on family ties. But Begum’s family argued that she was from the U.K. and never held a Bangladeshi passport.
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the government will “always take the strongest possible action to protect our national security and we never take decisions around deprivation (of citizenship) lightly.”
A number of campaigners voiced their disappointment after the ruling and said the solution rests with the government shouldering its responsibility.
” It is now a political problem, and the government holds the key to solving it,” said Maya Foa, director of the Reprieve humans right campaign group. “If the government thinks that Shamima Begum has committed a crime, she should be prosecuted in a British court. Citizenship stripping is not the answer.”
IS bride stuck in Syrian refugee camp loses her appeal over the removal of her U.K. citizenship
A woman who travelled to Syria as a teen to join the Islamic State lost her appeal Friday against the British government.
Lawyer for Calgary terrorism suspect wants charges thrown out because of unreasonable delay
Jamal Borhot's charges involve allegations he went to Syria to aid ISIS
Author of the article:Kevin Martin
Published Apr 02, 2024 • 2 minute read
The more than 3½ years it will take to get Calgary terrorism suspect Jamal Borhot to trial amounts to an unreasonable delay in breach of his Charter rights, his lawyer says.
Defence counsel Pawel Milczarek has filed a notice of motion seeking a judicial stay of Borhot’s charges involving allegations he went to Syria to aid ISIS.
In it, Milczarek said none of the three years, eight months and eight days it will take to conclude his client’s prosecution can be attributed to the defence.
As a result, he says in his written material, the only option for Justice Corina Dario is to enter a judicial stay of Borhot’s charges, ending his prosecution.
Under the Supreme Court’s decision in the Jordan case, the nation’s top court said any trials which conclude more than 30 months after a person is charged are presumptively unreasonably delayed.
Short of delays caused by the defence or extraordinary circumstances causing the case to last longer, trials exceeding the 30-month period will result in an accused person’s Charter right to be tried within a reasonable amount of time to be violated.
Milczarek, in his written application, said despite Borhot having two prior lawyers who withdrew from the case, all of the delay in the proceedings is as a result of court or prosecutorial delay.
Much of the period of time it has taken to get the case to trial in Calgary Court of King’s Bench involved several motions which had to be dealt with in the Federal Court and commenced by the Attorney General of Canada.
Milczarek said both the federal attorney general’s department and the Public Prosecution Service of Canada lawyers handling Borhot’s prosecution should be held accountable for the lengthy delay.
He said prior cases involving allegations of terrorism activity should have provided both with a road map for conducting his client’s case in a timely fashion.
“In the present case, the evidence available to the defence suggest that neither the PPSC nor the AGC conducted themselves pursuant to the lessons learned from the Air India Inquiry or more recent terrorism prosecutions, such as the case of the Toronto 18,” he said.
“Both … have identified the need for procedural reforms to terrorism prosecutions.”
Milczarek will make oral arguments on the application when Borhot’s six-week trial commences on April 15.
Borhot, 34, faces three charges of participating in the activities of a terrorist group. He is accused of travelling to Syria in 2013 and 2014 to assist ISIS.
He was originally arrested in September 2020, and has been on strict bail for most of that time.
KMartin@postmedia.com
X: @KMartinCourts
torontosun.com
Jamal Borhot's charges involve allegations he went to Syria to aid ISIS
Author of the article:Kevin Martin
Published Apr 02, 2024 • 2 minute read
The more than 3½ years it will take to get Calgary terrorism suspect Jamal Borhot to trial amounts to an unreasonable delay in breach of his Charter rights, his lawyer says.
Defence counsel Pawel Milczarek has filed a notice of motion seeking a judicial stay of Borhot’s charges involving allegations he went to Syria to aid ISIS.
In it, Milczarek said none of the three years, eight months and eight days it will take to conclude his client’s prosecution can be attributed to the defence.
As a result, he says in his written material, the only option for Justice Corina Dario is to enter a judicial stay of Borhot’s charges, ending his prosecution.
Under the Supreme Court’s decision in the Jordan case, the nation’s top court said any trials which conclude more than 30 months after a person is charged are presumptively unreasonably delayed.
Short of delays caused by the defence or extraordinary circumstances causing the case to last longer, trials exceeding the 30-month period will result in an accused person’s Charter right to be tried within a reasonable amount of time to be violated.
Milczarek, in his written application, said despite Borhot having two prior lawyers who withdrew from the case, all of the delay in the proceedings is as a result of court or prosecutorial delay.
Much of the period of time it has taken to get the case to trial in Calgary Court of King’s Bench involved several motions which had to be dealt with in the Federal Court and commenced by the Attorney General of Canada.
Milczarek said both the federal attorney general’s department and the Public Prosecution Service of Canada lawyers handling Borhot’s prosecution should be held accountable for the lengthy delay.
He said prior cases involving allegations of terrorism activity should have provided both with a road map for conducting his client’s case in a timely fashion.
“In the present case, the evidence available to the defence suggest that neither the PPSC nor the AGC conducted themselves pursuant to the lessons learned from the Air India Inquiry or more recent terrorism prosecutions, such as the case of the Toronto 18,” he said.
“Both … have identified the need for procedural reforms to terrorism prosecutions.”
Milczarek will make oral arguments on the application when Borhot’s six-week trial commences on April 15.
Borhot, 34, faces three charges of participating in the activities of a terrorist group. He is accused of travelling to Syria in 2013 and 2014 to assist ISIS.
He was originally arrested in September 2020, and has been on strict bail for most of that time.
KMartin@postmedia.com
X: @KMartinCourts
Lawyer for Calgary terrorism suspect wants charges thrown out because of unreasonable delay
Lawyer for Calgary terrorism suspect Jamal Borhot wants his charges stayed based on unreasonable delay.
Teen arrested day before he planned to attack churches in name of ISIS, feds say
Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Ben Brasch
Published Apr 10, 2024 • 5 minute read
Idaho-Teen-Terrorism-Charge
The criminal complaint against Alexander Scott Mercurio is photographed on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. Mercurio, 18, is charged with attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State group after prosecutors said he planned to carry out an attack on a Coeur d'Alene church. Mercurio was arrested Saturday, and the charges were unsealed in Idaho's U.S. District Court on Monday. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
After months of planning, federal officials say, 18-year-old Alexander Scott Mercurio was just a few days away from executing an attack on American soil in the name of the Islamic State militant group.
Mercurio detailed his plot to a man in a hotel, according to court documents: The Idaho teen said he would walk to a church from his home in Coeur d’Alene, kneecap churchgoers with a metal pipe, kill them with a knife, set off fires using small butane canisters and then try to wrestle a gun away from an officer once police arrived. He said he was committed to slaying as many people as he could before dying through suicide or an encounter with law enforcement.
What he didn’t know is that the person he was talking to was an FBI informant.
Mercurio was arrested Saturday and charged in District of Idaho federal court with providing support to a terrorist organization. No attorney was listed for him in the federal courts system. He remained in the Kootenai County jail in Coeur d’Alene as of Tuesday afternoon, according to records.
“Thanks to the investigative efforts of the FBI, the defendant was taken into custody before he could act, and he is now charged with attempting to support ISIS’s mission of terror and violence,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a news release.
The Islamist militant group, also referred to as ISIS or ISIL, is a former al-Qaeda affiliate. About a decade ago, the Islamic State declared the establishment of a caliphate over swaths of Syria and Iraq. Since then, it has lost control of much of the territory.
Mercurio told an FBI informant that he started diving into Islamic State ideology while schools were closed during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, Idaho-based FBI agent John H. Taylor II wrote in the criminal complaint. Mercurio said that his parents were not happy and that he had to hide his beliefs from them. He added that he previously “drank the Kool-Aid” of white supremacy but turned to the Islamic State after deciding it had more purpose for him.
“This case should be an eye-opener to the dangers of self-radicalization, which is a real threat to our communities,” Shohini Sinha, head of the FBI in Salt Lake City, said in a statement.
The FBI was investigating a network that launders money for the militant group when agents came across Mercurio. Taylor wrote that Mercurio and others who were not named in the complaint had been raising money for the Islamic State, including through cryptocurrency.
Agents came into contact with Mercurio in 2022, connecting with him through a profile they had created with the same username as an Islamic State fundraiser who had deleted their account. The teen believed he was chatting with the fundraiser and spoke with FBI sources for months.
He described having suicidal ideations, at times wavering over how far he wanted to take his new extremist beliefs. In December, he wrote that he was upset with himself for sinning, adding: “I’ve stopped asking and praying for martyrdom because I don’t feel like I want to fight and die for the sake of Allah, I just want to die and have all my problems go away.”
The situation escalated early this year, officials said, when Mercurio said he planned to carry out a suicide attack against at least one church. At one point, he spoke about making a flaming sword. He also described “some kind of insatiable bloodlust for the life of these idolaters; a craving for mayhem and murder to terrorize those around me.”
In February, he said he had the “tools” he needed, “but I still waver because I am attached to the worldly life.”
He continued: “Perhaps it is a sign of insincerity that I prefer to carry out a successful attack to perhaps gain fame and notoriety … or that I fear the blame of the blamers and hate for them to slander me in the media, and call me a mentally ill psycho who did this out of desperation and delusion and not as an act of religiously motivated terrorism.”
Days later, Mercurio met with another FBI source in Coeur d’Alene. He said his family “oppresses” him, the agent wrote. He told the informant that his parents were unhappy with his path. He was frustrated he couldn’t access his father’s guns, he said, because his father was home frequently because of a work injury.
During another meeting a couple of months later, on April 2, Mercurio said he thought about killing his father or hitting him with a pipe and handcuffing him. That way, he could get access to his father’s firearm collection, which included an AR-15, Taylor wrote.
Mercurio settled on attacking a specific church on April 7. The agent said Mercurio chose that date because it was before the end of Ramadan, which Mercurio had referred to as “the month of conquests.”
Mercurio wrote that he would send a video pledging allegiance to the Islamic State and delete his social media before he would “burn the temple to the ground and flee,” then “rinse and repeat for all 21+ churches in the town until killed.” He sent the 20-second statement on April 6 and was arrested the same day, authorities said.
Law enforcement raided his home about 12:45 p.m. and found the items he had promised to use – the butane canisters and pipe, handcuffs, a knife and a machete – along with several of the father’s guns, Taylor wrote. Agents also found an Islamic State flag in Mercurio’s bedroom.
Agents searched his school-issued laptop and found audio files of iihadi chants, Taylor wrote. Law enforcement also found 50 files, mostly audio files of chants and songs, celebrating the conquests of the Islamic State and the need for jihad.
“The defendant allegedly pledged loyalty to ISIS and sought to attack people attending churches in Idaho, a truly horrific plan which was detected and thwarted,” FBI Director Christopher A. Wray said in a statement. “This investigation demonstrates the FBI’s steadfast commitment to work with our law enforcement partners to stop those who wish to commit acts of violence on behalf of – or inspired by – foreign terrorist groups.”
Mercurio faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison if convicted, according to authorities.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Ben Brasch
Published Apr 10, 2024 • 5 minute read
Idaho-Teen-Terrorism-Charge
The criminal complaint against Alexander Scott Mercurio is photographed on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. Mercurio, 18, is charged with attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State group after prosecutors said he planned to carry out an attack on a Coeur d'Alene church. Mercurio was arrested Saturday, and the charges were unsealed in Idaho's U.S. District Court on Monday. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
After months of planning, federal officials say, 18-year-old Alexander Scott Mercurio was just a few days away from executing an attack on American soil in the name of the Islamic State militant group.
Mercurio detailed his plot to a man in a hotel, according to court documents: The Idaho teen said he would walk to a church from his home in Coeur d’Alene, kneecap churchgoers with a metal pipe, kill them with a knife, set off fires using small butane canisters and then try to wrestle a gun away from an officer once police arrived. He said he was committed to slaying as many people as he could before dying through suicide or an encounter with law enforcement.
What he didn’t know is that the person he was talking to was an FBI informant.
Mercurio was arrested Saturday and charged in District of Idaho federal court with providing support to a terrorist organization. No attorney was listed for him in the federal courts system. He remained in the Kootenai County jail in Coeur d’Alene as of Tuesday afternoon, according to records.
“Thanks to the investigative efforts of the FBI, the defendant was taken into custody before he could act, and he is now charged with attempting to support ISIS’s mission of terror and violence,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a news release.
The Islamist militant group, also referred to as ISIS or ISIL, is a former al-Qaeda affiliate. About a decade ago, the Islamic State declared the establishment of a caliphate over swaths of Syria and Iraq. Since then, it has lost control of much of the territory.
Mercurio told an FBI informant that he started diving into Islamic State ideology while schools were closed during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, Idaho-based FBI agent John H. Taylor II wrote in the criminal complaint. Mercurio said that his parents were not happy and that he had to hide his beliefs from them. He added that he previously “drank the Kool-Aid” of white supremacy but turned to the Islamic State after deciding it had more purpose for him.
“This case should be an eye-opener to the dangers of self-radicalization, which is a real threat to our communities,” Shohini Sinha, head of the FBI in Salt Lake City, said in a statement.
The FBI was investigating a network that launders money for the militant group when agents came across Mercurio. Taylor wrote that Mercurio and others who were not named in the complaint had been raising money for the Islamic State, including through cryptocurrency.
Agents came into contact with Mercurio in 2022, connecting with him through a profile they had created with the same username as an Islamic State fundraiser who had deleted their account. The teen believed he was chatting with the fundraiser and spoke with FBI sources for months.
He described having suicidal ideations, at times wavering over how far he wanted to take his new extremist beliefs. In December, he wrote that he was upset with himself for sinning, adding: “I’ve stopped asking and praying for martyrdom because I don’t feel like I want to fight and die for the sake of Allah, I just want to die and have all my problems go away.”
The situation escalated early this year, officials said, when Mercurio said he planned to carry out a suicide attack against at least one church. At one point, he spoke about making a flaming sword. He also described “some kind of insatiable bloodlust for the life of these idolaters; a craving for mayhem and murder to terrorize those around me.”
In February, he said he had the “tools” he needed, “but I still waver because I am attached to the worldly life.”
He continued: “Perhaps it is a sign of insincerity that I prefer to carry out a successful attack to perhaps gain fame and notoriety … or that I fear the blame of the blamers and hate for them to slander me in the media, and call me a mentally ill psycho who did this out of desperation and delusion and not as an act of religiously motivated terrorism.”
Days later, Mercurio met with another FBI source in Coeur d’Alene. He said his family “oppresses” him, the agent wrote. He told the informant that his parents were unhappy with his path. He was frustrated he couldn’t access his father’s guns, he said, because his father was home frequently because of a work injury.
During another meeting a couple of months later, on April 2, Mercurio said he thought about killing his father or hitting him with a pipe and handcuffing him. That way, he could get access to his father’s firearm collection, which included an AR-15, Taylor wrote.
Mercurio settled on attacking a specific church on April 7. The agent said Mercurio chose that date because it was before the end of Ramadan, which Mercurio had referred to as “the month of conquests.”
Mercurio wrote that he would send a video pledging allegiance to the Islamic State and delete his social media before he would “burn the temple to the ground and flee,” then “rinse and repeat for all 21+ churches in the town until killed.” He sent the 20-second statement on April 6 and was arrested the same day, authorities said.
Law enforcement raided his home about 12:45 p.m. and found the items he had promised to use – the butane canisters and pipe, handcuffs, a knife and a machete – along with several of the father’s guns, Taylor wrote. Agents also found an Islamic State flag in Mercurio’s bedroom.
Agents searched his school-issued laptop and found audio files of iihadi chants, Taylor wrote. Law enforcement also found 50 files, mostly audio files of chants and songs, celebrating the conquests of the Islamic State and the need for jihad.
“The defendant allegedly pledged loyalty to ISIS and sought to attack people attending churches in Idaho, a truly horrific plan which was detected and thwarted,” FBI Director Christopher A. Wray said in a statement. “This investigation demonstrates the FBI’s steadfast commitment to work with our law enforcement partners to stop those who wish to commit acts of violence on behalf of – or inspired by – foreign terrorist groups.”
Mercurio faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison if convicted, according to authorities.
Teen arrested day before he planned to attack churches in name of ISIS, feds say
18-year-old Alexander Scott Mercurio was just a few days away from executing an attack on American soil in the name of the Islamic State.
Calgary terrorism suspect right to a speedy trial not violated, judge rules
Borhot, 34, is accused of travelling to Syria in 2013 and 2014 to assist ISIS
Author of the article:Kevin Martin
Published Apr 22, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read
Calgary Courts Centre in Calgary.
Calgary Courts Centre in Calgary.
Calgary terrorism suspect Jamal Borhot has not been the victim of an unreasonable delay in his prosecution, a judge ruled Monday in determining his trial will proceed.
Justice Corina Dario said that after a review of Crown and defence submissions, she determined Borhot’s Charter right to be tried within a reasonable amount of time was not violated.
Defence counsel Pawel Milczarek had argued Borhot was entitled to have his charges thrown out based on the more than 44 months that will have elapsed from the time he was charged until the scheduled conclusion of his trial at the end of next month.
But prosecutors argued much of that time period was attributed to defence delays, including the fact Borhot is now on his third lawyer.
Crown lawyer Dominic Puglia also argued the case was complex, which would mean delays over the ceiling established by the Supreme Court would not violate the accused’s constitutional right.
“Upon a review of submissions by counsel . . . I am satisfied that Mr. Borhot’s 11(b) rights have not been violated,” Dario said, citing the Charter section that guarantees an individual the right to be tried in a timely fashion.
The Court of King’s Bench judge said she will issue a more thorough decision, likely later this week.
Borhot, 34, faces three charges of participating in the activities of a terrorist group. He is accused of travelling to Syria in 2013 and 2014 to assist ISIS.
He was arrested in September 2020 after a lengthy RCMP investigation.
His cousin, Hussein Borhot, was arrested several months earlier and was handed a 12-year sentence in May 2022, after admitting becoming an ISIS fighter while in the Middle East.
Milczarek, in both written and oral submissions, had argued Dario should enter a judicial stay of his client’s charges based on the length of time it took to get the case to trial.
Under the Jordan ruling, the Supreme Court found delays in excess of 30 months from the date of arrest to the end of trial are presumptively a violation of an accused’s Charter right short of exceptional circumstances.
Those include delays attributable to the defence.
Milczarek had argued nothing the defence had done caused his client’s case to be before the courts for so long, suggesting conduct by the Crown over issues such as disclosure was to blame.
In their written brief, Puglia and co-prosecutor Kyra Kondro said the nature of the case alone justified a lengthier period.
“This is a complex case,” they wrote.
“Terrorism prosecutions and the terrorism provisions of . . . the Criminal Code have consistently been referred to as complicated.”
KMartin@postmedia.com
X: KMartinCourts
torontosun.com
Borhot, 34, is accused of travelling to Syria in 2013 and 2014 to assist ISIS
Author of the article:Kevin Martin
Published Apr 22, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read
Calgary Courts Centre in Calgary.
Calgary Courts Centre in Calgary.
Calgary terrorism suspect Jamal Borhot has not been the victim of an unreasonable delay in his prosecution, a judge ruled Monday in determining his trial will proceed.
Justice Corina Dario said that after a review of Crown and defence submissions, she determined Borhot’s Charter right to be tried within a reasonable amount of time was not violated.
Defence counsel Pawel Milczarek had argued Borhot was entitled to have his charges thrown out based on the more than 44 months that will have elapsed from the time he was charged until the scheduled conclusion of his trial at the end of next month.
But prosecutors argued much of that time period was attributed to defence delays, including the fact Borhot is now on his third lawyer.
Crown lawyer Dominic Puglia also argued the case was complex, which would mean delays over the ceiling established by the Supreme Court would not violate the accused’s constitutional right.
“Upon a review of submissions by counsel . . . I am satisfied that Mr. Borhot’s 11(b) rights have not been violated,” Dario said, citing the Charter section that guarantees an individual the right to be tried in a timely fashion.
The Court of King’s Bench judge said she will issue a more thorough decision, likely later this week.
Borhot, 34, faces three charges of participating in the activities of a terrorist group. He is accused of travelling to Syria in 2013 and 2014 to assist ISIS.
He was arrested in September 2020 after a lengthy RCMP investigation.
His cousin, Hussein Borhot, was arrested several months earlier and was handed a 12-year sentence in May 2022, after admitting becoming an ISIS fighter while in the Middle East.
Milczarek, in both written and oral submissions, had argued Dario should enter a judicial stay of his client’s charges based on the length of time it took to get the case to trial.
Under the Jordan ruling, the Supreme Court found delays in excess of 30 months from the date of arrest to the end of trial are presumptively a violation of an accused’s Charter right short of exceptional circumstances.
Those include delays attributable to the defence.
Milczarek had argued nothing the defence had done caused his client’s case to be before the courts for so long, suggesting conduct by the Crown over issues such as disclosure was to blame.
In their written brief, Puglia and co-prosecutor Kyra Kondro said the nature of the case alone justified a lengthier period.
“This is a complex case,” they wrote.
“Terrorism prosecutions and the terrorism provisions of . . . the Criminal Code have consistently been referred to as complicated.”
KMartin@postmedia.com
X: KMartinCourts
Calgary terrorism suspect right to a speedy trial not violated, judge rules
Calgary terrorism suspect Jamal Borhot has not been the victim of an unreasonable delay in his prosecution, judge rules Monday.
Jury hears 2021 Chicken Land killing was by three men linked to ISIS
Author of the article:Joe Warmington
Published May 24, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read
Anand Nath, 20, of Mississauga, faces one count of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder for a May 29, 2021 shooting that injured four people and killed a man, 25, at Chicken Land BBQ in Mississauga. Nath, one of three accused now in custody, was arrested in Montreal and arrived at Toronto Pearson Airport under guard by Peel Regional Police on June 10, 2021.
Anand Nath, 20, of Mississauga, faces one count of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder for a May 29, 2021 shooting that injured four people and killed a man, 25, at Chicken Land BBQ in Mississauga. Nath, one of three accused now in custody, was arrested in Montreal and arrived at Toronto Pearson Airport under guard by Peel Regional Police on June 10, 2021.
BRAMPTON — Turns out the terrifyingly wild shooting that killed a man and injured his family and staff at a popular Mississauga restaurant was also allegedly connected to Islamic terror.
The jury in the shooting murder of a 25-year-old Mississauga man and attempted murder of his whole family and a family friend inside their famous Chicken Land BBQ restaurant was told the motive of this heinous crime was to prevent the victim from telling authorities about the men charged before the court of their alleged connection to ISIS.
The crown attorney said they will argue that money from a business the suspects were involved in was funnelled abroad to help fund the Islamic terror network and the execution of a family was done by a group connected to ISIS who were allegedly trying to protect that information from being told to police.
The blockbuster claims were made in Crown Attorney David D’Iorio’s opening address to the jury Tuesday before Justice David Harris at the Davis courthouse.
Accused gunman Anand Nath, 24, accused getaway driver Suliman Raza, 28, and alleged leader Naqash Abassi, 34, are charged with one count of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder.
This shocking shooting ambush, which saw seven shots hit five people in just 18 seconds, occurred at 7:17 p.m. from a handgun carried by a “thin” hooded man, May 29, 2021, in the Esso gas station plaza at the corner of Glen Erin Dr. and The College Way.
In that disturbing incident Naim Akl was struck by gunfire and killed. His father, Jihad, mother, Rania, 56, brother, Daniel, 22 and family friend Rohullah Rawi, who was helping out at the eatery, were all struck with 9 mm shells while sister Sandra, 13, was shot at but the bullet missed.
Akl was shot in the neck and died at the scene. The others were all taken to hospital and survived.
“You will hear evidence that Naim Akl had become aware” that “the group had pledged allegiance to ISIS” and “was planning to go to the authorities and betray the others,” D’Iorio told the jury. “So it’s our position that the others came up with a plan to prevent that from happening: a plan to kill Naim Akl and his family.”
It was a stunning assertion that has not been proven in court. The three men have pleaded not guilty, and the trial that just wrapped up its first week is expected to last into late June.
Evidence presented by the crown Wednesday and Thursday was of a forensic nature including a run through of security video evidence with Peel Regional Police Homicide Det. Ninad Besai on the stand explaining what he located in the investigation as the coordinator of video collection.
The three accused watched from the prisoner’s box during the laborious evidence entry to show a car allegedly involved, a man getting into the car and later a gathering at an apartment complex.
But the focus as the week wound down was on the crown’s position.
“They weren’t just buying and selling products,” said D’Lorio. “They had pledged allegiance to ISIS, the Islamic State, and money was being used to finance that organization … Money, quote unquote, was being sent back home to further that cause.”
Soon after the shooting the Toronto Sun attended a business called TryALinc imports in a warehouse at an industrial area on Kimbel St. in Mississauga near Pearson International Airport where fellow employees called the allegations against their friends Islamophobic.
“Innocent until proven guilty,” Nofal Abbasi, who said he was a cousin to the Abbasi accused, said in 2021. “We know these guys and know for a fact they didn’t do anything.” He also said it’s “all lies and accusations … this happens all the time — something happens with Muslims and right away they say the same thing.”
The trial is where they will have a fair opportunity to offer a defence. The accused are to be considered innocent until proven guilty.
But the Crown told the jury that it will present a conspiracy that saw the accused gunman go to the much-loved barbecue chicken establishment that has been around for three decades on a Saturday night, fire numerous gunshots and then escape by getting into the trunk of a getaway car that was parked nearby.
The Crown also told the jury murder victim Akl, who had worked at TryALinc, was also a convert to Islam by one of the accused but had not told his parents who are of the Druze faith. When I interviewed the friends, one of them said he just converted to Islam just moments before we arrived. But they insisted this warehouse was not a mosque, as some believed because they saw people praying, but a place of business.
The Crown has introduced to the jury its intention to show links between people in this business and ISIS.
The crown’s case resumes Monday.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Joe Warmington
Published May 24, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read
Anand Nath, 20, of Mississauga, faces one count of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder for a May 29, 2021 shooting that injured four people and killed a man, 25, at Chicken Land BBQ in Mississauga. Nath, one of three accused now in custody, was arrested in Montreal and arrived at Toronto Pearson Airport under guard by Peel Regional Police on June 10, 2021.
Anand Nath, 20, of Mississauga, faces one count of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder for a May 29, 2021 shooting that injured four people and killed a man, 25, at Chicken Land BBQ in Mississauga. Nath, one of three accused now in custody, was arrested in Montreal and arrived at Toronto Pearson Airport under guard by Peel Regional Police on June 10, 2021.
BRAMPTON — Turns out the terrifyingly wild shooting that killed a man and injured his family and staff at a popular Mississauga restaurant was also allegedly connected to Islamic terror.
The jury in the shooting murder of a 25-year-old Mississauga man and attempted murder of his whole family and a family friend inside their famous Chicken Land BBQ restaurant was told the motive of this heinous crime was to prevent the victim from telling authorities about the men charged before the court of their alleged connection to ISIS.
The crown attorney said they will argue that money from a business the suspects were involved in was funnelled abroad to help fund the Islamic terror network and the execution of a family was done by a group connected to ISIS who were allegedly trying to protect that information from being told to police.
The blockbuster claims were made in Crown Attorney David D’Iorio’s opening address to the jury Tuesday before Justice David Harris at the Davis courthouse.
Accused gunman Anand Nath, 24, accused getaway driver Suliman Raza, 28, and alleged leader Naqash Abassi, 34, are charged with one count of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder.
This shocking shooting ambush, which saw seven shots hit five people in just 18 seconds, occurred at 7:17 p.m. from a handgun carried by a “thin” hooded man, May 29, 2021, in the Esso gas station plaza at the corner of Glen Erin Dr. and The College Way.
In that disturbing incident Naim Akl was struck by gunfire and killed. His father, Jihad, mother, Rania, 56, brother, Daniel, 22 and family friend Rohullah Rawi, who was helping out at the eatery, were all struck with 9 mm shells while sister Sandra, 13, was shot at but the bullet missed.
Akl was shot in the neck and died at the scene. The others were all taken to hospital and survived.
“You will hear evidence that Naim Akl had become aware” that “the group had pledged allegiance to ISIS” and “was planning to go to the authorities and betray the others,” D’Iorio told the jury. “So it’s our position that the others came up with a plan to prevent that from happening: a plan to kill Naim Akl and his family.”
It was a stunning assertion that has not been proven in court. The three men have pleaded not guilty, and the trial that just wrapped up its first week is expected to last into late June.
Evidence presented by the crown Wednesday and Thursday was of a forensic nature including a run through of security video evidence with Peel Regional Police Homicide Det. Ninad Besai on the stand explaining what he located in the investigation as the coordinator of video collection.
The three accused watched from the prisoner’s box during the laborious evidence entry to show a car allegedly involved, a man getting into the car and later a gathering at an apartment complex.
But the focus as the week wound down was on the crown’s position.
“They weren’t just buying and selling products,” said D’Lorio. “They had pledged allegiance to ISIS, the Islamic State, and money was being used to finance that organization … Money, quote unquote, was being sent back home to further that cause.”
Soon after the shooting the Toronto Sun attended a business called TryALinc imports in a warehouse at an industrial area on Kimbel St. in Mississauga near Pearson International Airport where fellow employees called the allegations against their friends Islamophobic.
“Innocent until proven guilty,” Nofal Abbasi, who said he was a cousin to the Abbasi accused, said in 2021. “We know these guys and know for a fact they didn’t do anything.” He also said it’s “all lies and accusations … this happens all the time — something happens with Muslims and right away they say the same thing.”
The trial is where they will have a fair opportunity to offer a defence. The accused are to be considered innocent until proven guilty.
But the Crown told the jury that it will present a conspiracy that saw the accused gunman go to the much-loved barbecue chicken establishment that has been around for three decades on a Saturday night, fire numerous gunshots and then escape by getting into the trunk of a getaway car that was parked nearby.
The Crown also told the jury murder victim Akl, who had worked at TryALinc, was also a convert to Islam by one of the accused but had not told his parents who are of the Druze faith. When I interviewed the friends, one of them said he just converted to Islam just moments before we arrived. But they insisted this warehouse was not a mosque, as some believed because they saw people praying, but a place of business.
The Crown has introduced to the jury its intention to show links between people in this business and ISIS.
The crown’s case resumes Monday.
WARMINGTON: Jury hears 2021 Chicken Land killing was by three men linked to ISIS
Turns out the terrifying wild shooting murder of family and staff at a popular Mississauga restaurant was also allegedly connected to Islamic terror.
Terrorism peace bond imposed on Edmonton woman who travelled to Islamic State
She may have received military training
Author of the article:Jonny Wakefield
Published May 22, 2024 • Last updated 4 days ago • 3 minute read
Aimee Vasconez — an Edmonton woman who travelled to ISIS-occupied Syria — spent years in a similar camp in Syria before being repatriated to Canada in 2023. She entered into a terrorism peace bond in Edmonton May 22, 2024.
Aimee Vasconez — an Edmonton woman who travelled to ISIS-occupied Syria — spent years in a similar camp in Syria before being repatriated to Canada in 2023. She entered into a terrorism peace bond in Edmonton May 22, 2024.
An Alberta woman who travelled to Syria to join the so-called Islamic State has agreed to a terrorism peace bond, admitting she received military training and applied to join an ISIS battalion before surrendering to Syrian forces.
Aimee Lucia Vasconez was in the Alberta court of justice Wednesday where Justice D’Arcy DePoe imposed a peace bond banning her from travelling, leaving Alberta without permission or accessing the internet for one year, in addition to other conditions.
Federal Crown prosecutor Monique Dion said Vasconez, 39, left Canada with her husband and two children in 2015 for ISIS-controlled Syria. Dion said the peace bond, under Section 810 of the Criminal Code, will allow for monitoring of Vasconez to ensure she does not participate in terrorism-related activities.
“There are reasonable grounds to fear Ms. Vasconez may participate in a terrorism offence, and that’s meant quite broadly,” she said. That could mean anything from assisting in an attack to counselling someone to join an extremist group, she said.
The peace bond does not require Vasconez to make any admissions to civil or criminal liability regarding her actions in Syria, though defence lawyer Yoav Niv said the bond is likely not the “final chapter in her legal adventures.”
“Since arriving in Canada from very difficult circumstances, Ms. Vasconez has abided by her bail conditions, not presented any security threat, and lived a prosocial lifestyle,” Niv said in an email, adding the conditions placed on Vasconez Wednesday were less strict than those on bail.
“The reduced conditions she was placed on in the finality of these proceedings are a reflection of that.”
Application for ‘martyrdom’ benefits
Included in the materials for the peace bond are a lengthy affidavit from an RCMP officer assigned to Vasconez’s case, whose sources included material captured from ISIS strongholds.
The state — an enclave carved from western Iraq and eastern Syria — had largely ceased to exist in physical form by 2019, following a military campaign by American, Kurdish and Iraqi forces, but continues to commit terrorist attacks around the world. Followers adhere to an extreme interpretation of Islamic law and many committed war crimes and human rights violations, including genocide of Yazidi people and persecutions of Shia Muslims and Christians.
Among the documents pertaining to Vasconez captured by Syrian forces were an application for “martyrdom benefits” after Vasconez’s first husband was killed in the fighting. Vasconez later remarried, and her second husband was also killed.
The RCMP report says Vasconez’s husband, Ali Abdel-Jabbar, first came to law enforcement attention in 2014 when he and two other men were spotted at the Wabamun Gun Range using illegal extended magazines. By the time the Integrated National Security Enforcement Response Team (INSET) launched its investigation, the family had left the country.
She was also approved to join an “ISIS battalion,” according to the documents, Dion said. She eventually surrendered to Syrian Democratic Forces in February 2019 and spent the following four years in a displaced persons camp for other ISIS families.
Vasconez was one of four women and 10 children repatriated to Canada in April 2023.
Niv noted there are inherent difficulties gathering evidence from a war zone and that none of the RCMP’s sources or documents have been subject to cross-examination or other protections afforded in a criminal trial.
Experts with the Organization for the Prevention of Violence (OPV) — an Alberta-based group that monitors and attempts to de-radicalize extremists — has said Alberta was a source of a disproportionate number of travellers who travelled to the Islamic State in its heyday.
The OPV said Vasconez has been receiving counselling through its programs as well as through an Islamic family services group.
Around 10 conditions have been placed on Vasconez under the peace bond, including requirements to report to a bail supervisor, residency requirements and prohibitions on social media and internet access. She is forbidden from possessing travel documents.
Vasconez was previously subject to house arrest and ankle bracelet monitoring.
jwakefield@postmedia.com
twitter.com/jonnywakefield
torontosun.com
She may have received military training
Author of the article:Jonny Wakefield
Published May 22, 2024 • Last updated 4 days ago • 3 minute read
Aimee Vasconez — an Edmonton woman who travelled to ISIS-occupied Syria — spent years in a similar camp in Syria before being repatriated to Canada in 2023. She entered into a terrorism peace bond in Edmonton May 22, 2024.
Aimee Vasconez — an Edmonton woman who travelled to ISIS-occupied Syria — spent years in a similar camp in Syria before being repatriated to Canada in 2023. She entered into a terrorism peace bond in Edmonton May 22, 2024.
An Alberta woman who travelled to Syria to join the so-called Islamic State has agreed to a terrorism peace bond, admitting she received military training and applied to join an ISIS battalion before surrendering to Syrian forces.
Aimee Lucia Vasconez was in the Alberta court of justice Wednesday where Justice D’Arcy DePoe imposed a peace bond banning her from travelling, leaving Alberta without permission or accessing the internet for one year, in addition to other conditions.
Federal Crown prosecutor Monique Dion said Vasconez, 39, left Canada with her husband and two children in 2015 for ISIS-controlled Syria. Dion said the peace bond, under Section 810 of the Criminal Code, will allow for monitoring of Vasconez to ensure she does not participate in terrorism-related activities.
“There are reasonable grounds to fear Ms. Vasconez may participate in a terrorism offence, and that’s meant quite broadly,” she said. That could mean anything from assisting in an attack to counselling someone to join an extremist group, she said.
The peace bond does not require Vasconez to make any admissions to civil or criminal liability regarding her actions in Syria, though defence lawyer Yoav Niv said the bond is likely not the “final chapter in her legal adventures.”
“Since arriving in Canada from very difficult circumstances, Ms. Vasconez has abided by her bail conditions, not presented any security threat, and lived a prosocial lifestyle,” Niv said in an email, adding the conditions placed on Vasconez Wednesday were less strict than those on bail.
“The reduced conditions she was placed on in the finality of these proceedings are a reflection of that.”
Application for ‘martyrdom’ benefits
Included in the materials for the peace bond are a lengthy affidavit from an RCMP officer assigned to Vasconez’s case, whose sources included material captured from ISIS strongholds.
The state — an enclave carved from western Iraq and eastern Syria — had largely ceased to exist in physical form by 2019, following a military campaign by American, Kurdish and Iraqi forces, but continues to commit terrorist attacks around the world. Followers adhere to an extreme interpretation of Islamic law and many committed war crimes and human rights violations, including genocide of Yazidi people and persecutions of Shia Muslims and Christians.
Among the documents pertaining to Vasconez captured by Syrian forces were an application for “martyrdom benefits” after Vasconez’s first husband was killed in the fighting. Vasconez later remarried, and her second husband was also killed.
The RCMP report says Vasconez’s husband, Ali Abdel-Jabbar, first came to law enforcement attention in 2014 when he and two other men were spotted at the Wabamun Gun Range using illegal extended magazines. By the time the Integrated National Security Enforcement Response Team (INSET) launched its investigation, the family had left the country.
She was also approved to join an “ISIS battalion,” according to the documents, Dion said. She eventually surrendered to Syrian Democratic Forces in February 2019 and spent the following four years in a displaced persons camp for other ISIS families.
Vasconez was one of four women and 10 children repatriated to Canada in April 2023.
Niv noted there are inherent difficulties gathering evidence from a war zone and that none of the RCMP’s sources or documents have been subject to cross-examination or other protections afforded in a criminal trial.
Experts with the Organization for the Prevention of Violence (OPV) — an Alberta-based group that monitors and attempts to de-radicalize extremists — has said Alberta was a source of a disproportionate number of travellers who travelled to the Islamic State in its heyday.
The OPV said Vasconez has been receiving counselling through its programs as well as through an Islamic family services group.
Around 10 conditions have been placed on Vasconez under the peace bond, including requirements to report to a bail supervisor, residency requirements and prohibitions on social media and internet access. She is forbidden from possessing travel documents.
Vasconez was previously subject to house arrest and ankle bracelet monitoring.
jwakefield@postmedia.com
twitter.com/jonnywakefield
Terrorism peace bond imposed on Edmonton woman who travelled to Islamic State, may have received military training
An Alberta woman who travelled to Syria to join the so-called Islamic state has agreed to a terrorism peace bond, admitting she received military training and applied to join an ISIS battalion before surrendering to Syrian forces.
Accused murderer in Chicken Land shooting had ISIS videos on cellphone, court hears
Author of the article:Joe Warmington
Published May 27, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read
BRAMPTON – While being tried as a regular first-degree murder trial — and five counts of attempted murder — this disturbing Chicken Land shooting case is also about the alleged role radical Islamic terrorism played.
In fact, a jury Monday heard that “ISIS propaganda videos,” saying it’s “permissible” to “enslave” or “kill” non-believers of radical Islam, were found on the cellphone of the alleged getaway driver in the heinous May 29, 2021 shooting murder of Naim Akl and attempted murders of his mother, Rania, father Jihad, brother, Daniel, sister, Sandra and employee, Rohullah Rawi.
There have been no known Sec. 83 terror charges laid in this case, and there is no known investigation underway connected to that statute.
Under the Criminal Code of Canada — under “Participation in activity of terrorist group” — Sec. 83.18 (1) states “every person who knowingly participates in or contributes to, directly or indirectly, any activity of a terrorist group for the purpose of enhancing the ability of any terrorist group to facilitate or carry out a terrorist activity is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than 10 years.”
Without terror charges, or any indication of a federal RCMP investigation connected to the Islamic State, evidence is flowing out in this trial alleging outside-the-country terror network videos, information and ideology influenced the actions of the day.
It was one of those double-take moments that sent shockwaves through a courtroom when the court Monday heard evidence that one of the accused had searched for and found information from ISIS that said it was within their rules to “kill” what they called a “kafir” or a non-believer of Islam.
The Akl family are of the Druze faith, but Naim, the court has heard, had been converted to Islam by two of the three accused.
The Crown has alleged the motive for the shooting was that Naim, 25, who worked with these men at in a warehouse, would tell authorities about their “pledge of allegiance” to ISIS.
The shocking revelation was made to the jury in the first-degree murder trial of three men who the Crown claims all participated in the shooting at the Chicken Land BBQ restaurant in Mississauga on May 29, 2021, because they feared their victims may go to the authorities.
Accused gunman Anand Nath, 24, accused getaway driver Suliman Raza, 28, and alleged leader Naqash Abassi, 34, are each charged with one count of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder. They’ve pleaded not guilty.
In an agreed “statement of fact” list of digital files from Raza’s phone, with Peel Regional Police Det. Arun Adhya on the stand, the crown entered into evidence the existence of several “propaganda videos” on his phone labelled from ISIS that talked about the “fight for the cause of Allah” though “jihad,” that it’s OK to “kill” for the “cause of disbelief,” and that — in some cases — would apply to “women and children” if they were in the way of the intended adult target.
It’s bone chilling evidence put in by Crown Attorney David D’Iorio’ in an “agreed statement of fact.”
The accused are considered innocent until proven guilty. This is the prosecution’s time to make their case, and the defence will have the opportunity to defend their clients.
Superior Court judge Mr. Justice David Harris has not only made the presumption of innocent edict clear to the jury but in the case of the cellphone evidence, he made the special effort to ensure it was understood phone evidence relates only to Raza and not the other two.
In addition to these videos – ranging from 47 seconds to as long as four minutes – the Crown told the jury that on Raza’s phone in the weeks up to the shooting there were searches of “how many bullets are in a Glock 43X” and on May 26th “what are the sentences for a getaway driver?”
On the day of the shooting at the restaurant on Glen Erin Dr. and The College Way, the jury heard, Raza conducted no searches for three hours during the time of the alleged incident, but just hours later, there were requests and retrieved news stories about the shooting that was covered widely in the media.
Anand Nath, 20, of Mississauga, faces one count of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder for a May 29, 2021 shooting that injured four people and killed a man, 25, at Chicken Land BBQ in Mississauga. Nath, one of three accused now in custody, was arrested in Montreal and arrived at Toronto Pearson Airport under guard by Peel Regional Police on June 10, 2021.
Anand Nath, 20, of Mississauga, has pleaded not guilty to one count of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder. The accused was arrested in Montreal and arrived at Toronto Pearson Airport under guard by Peel Regional Police on June 10, 2021
Meanwhile, as for the offerings in court about ISIS, the RCMP Monday confirmed such alleged activities would fall under their purview and not Peel Police.
“RCMP federal policing is responsible for investigating allegations of terrorism in Canada,” it said in a statement. “As the issue that you raise is currently before the courts, it would not be appropriate for the RCMP to comment at this time.”
It’s an understandable position, since the accused deserve a fair hearing. However, even without terror charges being part of this trial, there is no denying terror group ISIS is front and centre.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Joe Warmington
Published May 27, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read
BRAMPTON – While being tried as a regular first-degree murder trial — and five counts of attempted murder — this disturbing Chicken Land shooting case is also about the alleged role radical Islamic terrorism played.
In fact, a jury Monday heard that “ISIS propaganda videos,” saying it’s “permissible” to “enslave” or “kill” non-believers of radical Islam, were found on the cellphone of the alleged getaway driver in the heinous May 29, 2021 shooting murder of Naim Akl and attempted murders of his mother, Rania, father Jihad, brother, Daniel, sister, Sandra and employee, Rohullah Rawi.
There have been no known Sec. 83 terror charges laid in this case, and there is no known investigation underway connected to that statute.
Under the Criminal Code of Canada — under “Participation in activity of terrorist group” — Sec. 83.18 (1) states “every person who knowingly participates in or contributes to, directly or indirectly, any activity of a terrorist group for the purpose of enhancing the ability of any terrorist group to facilitate or carry out a terrorist activity is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than 10 years.”
Without terror charges, or any indication of a federal RCMP investigation connected to the Islamic State, evidence is flowing out in this trial alleging outside-the-country terror network videos, information and ideology influenced the actions of the day.
It was one of those double-take moments that sent shockwaves through a courtroom when the court Monday heard evidence that one of the accused had searched for and found information from ISIS that said it was within their rules to “kill” what they called a “kafir” or a non-believer of Islam.
The Akl family are of the Druze faith, but Naim, the court has heard, had been converted to Islam by two of the three accused.
The Crown has alleged the motive for the shooting was that Naim, 25, who worked with these men at in a warehouse, would tell authorities about their “pledge of allegiance” to ISIS.
The shocking revelation was made to the jury in the first-degree murder trial of three men who the Crown claims all participated in the shooting at the Chicken Land BBQ restaurant in Mississauga on May 29, 2021, because they feared their victims may go to the authorities.
Accused gunman Anand Nath, 24, accused getaway driver Suliman Raza, 28, and alleged leader Naqash Abassi, 34, are each charged with one count of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder. They’ve pleaded not guilty.
In an agreed “statement of fact” list of digital files from Raza’s phone, with Peel Regional Police Det. Arun Adhya on the stand, the crown entered into evidence the existence of several “propaganda videos” on his phone labelled from ISIS that talked about the “fight for the cause of Allah” though “jihad,” that it’s OK to “kill” for the “cause of disbelief,” and that — in some cases — would apply to “women and children” if they were in the way of the intended adult target.
It’s bone chilling evidence put in by Crown Attorney David D’Iorio’ in an “agreed statement of fact.”
The accused are considered innocent until proven guilty. This is the prosecution’s time to make their case, and the defence will have the opportunity to defend their clients.
Superior Court judge Mr. Justice David Harris has not only made the presumption of innocent edict clear to the jury but in the case of the cellphone evidence, he made the special effort to ensure it was understood phone evidence relates only to Raza and not the other two.
In addition to these videos – ranging from 47 seconds to as long as four minutes – the Crown told the jury that on Raza’s phone in the weeks up to the shooting there were searches of “how many bullets are in a Glock 43X” and on May 26th “what are the sentences for a getaway driver?”
On the day of the shooting at the restaurant on Glen Erin Dr. and The College Way, the jury heard, Raza conducted no searches for three hours during the time of the alleged incident, but just hours later, there were requests and retrieved news stories about the shooting that was covered widely in the media.
Anand Nath, 20, of Mississauga, faces one count of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder for a May 29, 2021 shooting that injured four people and killed a man, 25, at Chicken Land BBQ in Mississauga. Nath, one of three accused now in custody, was arrested in Montreal and arrived at Toronto Pearson Airport under guard by Peel Regional Police on June 10, 2021.
Anand Nath, 20, of Mississauga, has pleaded not guilty to one count of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder. The accused was arrested in Montreal and arrived at Toronto Pearson Airport under guard by Peel Regional Police on June 10, 2021
Meanwhile, as for the offerings in court about ISIS, the RCMP Monday confirmed such alleged activities would fall under their purview and not Peel Police.
“RCMP federal policing is responsible for investigating allegations of terrorism in Canada,” it said in a statement. “As the issue that you raise is currently before the courts, it would not be appropriate for the RCMP to comment at this time.”
It’s an understandable position, since the accused deserve a fair hearing. However, even without terror charges being part of this trial, there is no denying terror group ISIS is front and centre.
WARMINGTON: Accused murderer in Chicken Land shooting had ISIS videos on cellphone, court hears
This disturbing Chicken Land shooting case is also about the alleged role radical Islamic terrorism played.
A family suffers on third anniversary of the Chicken Land murder
Author of the article:Joe Warmington
Published May 28, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read
On May 29, 2021, the Akl family was living the Canadian dream. As the sun was setting that day, their dream would become a nightmare.
BRAMPTON – After 30 years in business, they knew most people who came through their door.
They did not know this guy, however. He was wearing a hoodie, gloves, a mask and sunglasses. He was not there to order their great food or rob them.
He was there to kill.
Up until 7 p.m. on May 29, 2021, the Akl family was living the Canadian dream. As the sun was setting, their dream became a nightmare.
Their beloved Chicken Land BBQ restaurant was thriving in the middle of a pandemic where takeout was the way to go. The family was happy, healthy and, as always, working hard.
Their chicken, ribs fries and salads are famous in Mississauga. From kids at school lunch break to the Peel cops at 11 Division to families in the area, Chicken Land is Chicken Heaven. It’s homemade fare made with love. As a customer, you don’t just go there once. It’s that good.
On a regular Saturday night three years ago, this gunman stormed into the much-loved family’s tiny takeout restaurant and fired shots at everybody there. But to this family, it does not seem like 1,095 days ago.
Naim Akil, 25, was shot twice and killed in this despicable act. His father, Jihad, mother, Rania, brother, Daniel and co-worker, Rohullah Rawi, were all wounded but survived. His then-13-year-old sister, Sandra, was allegedly fired at but not hit.
And now, with the trial underway for accused gunman Anand Nath, 24, accused getaway driver Suliman Raza, 28, and alleged planner Naqash Abassi, 34, they get to go through the whole horror show again.
The three accused men have each pleaded not guilty to one count of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder.
The accused in this case were arrested in an exhaustive Peel Regional Police investigation. The prosecution alleges there was bitterness toward Naim Akl as the three men feared he would tell authorities about his pals having pledged allegiance to ISIS.
They are considered innocent unless proven otherwise.
As she testified Monday, just two days away from Wednesday’s third anniversary of the evil ambush at the Chicken Land BBQ restaurant, Sandra, now 16, told court about being able to see the dark-coloured eyes of a covered-up gunman who had a handgun. She said she saw her brother, father and their employee in a pile in the kitchen area with a “huge pool of blood” flowing out “all over the floor.”
Skillfully, compassionately and respectfully, defence counsel Susan Pennypacker was able to pull from Sandra that there was confusion from her first statements to police about the skin colour of the alleged shooter, which she originally said was white, and the colour of the gun which was described as both black and grey and black and silver.
It offers insight into the defence’s approach and a reminder that these suspects are entitled to a fair trial, and it’s very clear that Mr. Justice David Harris is going to ensure they receive one. This is the second week of what could be a six-week trial.
Anand Nath, 20, of Mississauga, faces one count of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder for a May 29, 2021 shooting that injured four people and killed a man, 25, at Chicken Land BBQ in Mississauga. Nath, one of three accused now in custody, was arrested in Montreal and arrived at Toronto Pearson Airport under guard by Peel Regional Police on June 10, 2021.
Anand Nath, 20, of Mississauga, faces one count of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder for a May 29, 2021 shooting that injured four people and killed a man, 25, at Chicken Land BBQ in Mississauga. Nath, one of three accused now in custody, was arrested in Montreal and arrived at Toronto Pearson Airport under guard by Peel Regional Police on June 10, 2021.
There are good lawyers on all sides in the room, and the future of three men are in the hands of 12 jurors and two alternatives. There’s media there doing the daily story, and veteran journalist, John Goddard, has attended each day as he works on what will be a book on this groundbreaking and heart-breaking case.
But we understand the victims are also here. And this is excruciating for this family to go through again.
In the back of the courtroom, Rania, dressed in black, looked at the monitor as her daughter was testifying from a different room with a look of anguish. Rania was shot and lost a son and almost lost everybody else.
What a brave woman she is. By day and night, as the family has done for years since the patriarch opened the restaurant after emigrating from Lebanon, they work in their re-opened restaurant while taking time to come to the court proceedings.
A week ago, on the stand, Rania testified just how routine this night was.
“I was working doing my dishes,” she said. “I know my daughter was talking to me. I heard like (a) pop. I didn’t look. I heard the same sound again.”
When she turned around, “I saw someone, a male . . . I also heard two more pops. Pop, pop. I was walking toward him and that’s when he and I knew I was shot.”
She saw her family had been struck by gunshots.
“I could see a big pile of blood on the ground,” she said.
There was nothing regular about this night, and three years later, nothing can be regular again.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Joe Warmington
Published May 28, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read
On May 29, 2021, the Akl family was living the Canadian dream. As the sun was setting that day, their dream would become a nightmare.
BRAMPTON – After 30 years in business, they knew most people who came through their door.
They did not know this guy, however. He was wearing a hoodie, gloves, a mask and sunglasses. He was not there to order their great food or rob them.
He was there to kill.
Up until 7 p.m. on May 29, 2021, the Akl family was living the Canadian dream. As the sun was setting, their dream became a nightmare.
Their beloved Chicken Land BBQ restaurant was thriving in the middle of a pandemic where takeout was the way to go. The family was happy, healthy and, as always, working hard.
Their chicken, ribs fries and salads are famous in Mississauga. From kids at school lunch break to the Peel cops at 11 Division to families in the area, Chicken Land is Chicken Heaven. It’s homemade fare made with love. As a customer, you don’t just go there once. It’s that good.
On a regular Saturday night three years ago, this gunman stormed into the much-loved family’s tiny takeout restaurant and fired shots at everybody there. But to this family, it does not seem like 1,095 days ago.
Naim Akil, 25, was shot twice and killed in this despicable act. His father, Jihad, mother, Rania, brother, Daniel and co-worker, Rohullah Rawi, were all wounded but survived. His then-13-year-old sister, Sandra, was allegedly fired at but not hit.
And now, with the trial underway for accused gunman Anand Nath, 24, accused getaway driver Suliman Raza, 28, and alleged planner Naqash Abassi, 34, they get to go through the whole horror show again.
The three accused men have each pleaded not guilty to one count of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder.
The accused in this case were arrested in an exhaustive Peel Regional Police investigation. The prosecution alleges there was bitterness toward Naim Akl as the three men feared he would tell authorities about his pals having pledged allegiance to ISIS.
They are considered innocent unless proven otherwise.
As she testified Monday, just two days away from Wednesday’s third anniversary of the evil ambush at the Chicken Land BBQ restaurant, Sandra, now 16, told court about being able to see the dark-coloured eyes of a covered-up gunman who had a handgun. She said she saw her brother, father and their employee in a pile in the kitchen area with a “huge pool of blood” flowing out “all over the floor.”
Skillfully, compassionately and respectfully, defence counsel Susan Pennypacker was able to pull from Sandra that there was confusion from her first statements to police about the skin colour of the alleged shooter, which she originally said was white, and the colour of the gun which was described as both black and grey and black and silver.
It offers insight into the defence’s approach and a reminder that these suspects are entitled to a fair trial, and it’s very clear that Mr. Justice David Harris is going to ensure they receive one. This is the second week of what could be a six-week trial.
Anand Nath, 20, of Mississauga, faces one count of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder for a May 29, 2021 shooting that injured four people and killed a man, 25, at Chicken Land BBQ in Mississauga. Nath, one of three accused now in custody, was arrested in Montreal and arrived at Toronto Pearson Airport under guard by Peel Regional Police on June 10, 2021.
Anand Nath, 20, of Mississauga, faces one count of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder for a May 29, 2021 shooting that injured four people and killed a man, 25, at Chicken Land BBQ in Mississauga. Nath, one of three accused now in custody, was arrested in Montreal and arrived at Toronto Pearson Airport under guard by Peel Regional Police on June 10, 2021.
There are good lawyers on all sides in the room, and the future of three men are in the hands of 12 jurors and two alternatives. There’s media there doing the daily story, and veteran journalist, John Goddard, has attended each day as he works on what will be a book on this groundbreaking and heart-breaking case.
But we understand the victims are also here. And this is excruciating for this family to go through again.
In the back of the courtroom, Rania, dressed in black, looked at the monitor as her daughter was testifying from a different room with a look of anguish. Rania was shot and lost a son and almost lost everybody else.
What a brave woman she is. By day and night, as the family has done for years since the patriarch opened the restaurant after emigrating from Lebanon, they work in their re-opened restaurant while taking time to come to the court proceedings.
A week ago, on the stand, Rania testified just how routine this night was.
“I was working doing my dishes,” she said. “I know my daughter was talking to me. I heard like (a) pop. I didn’t look. I heard the same sound again.”
When she turned around, “I saw someone, a male . . . I also heard two more pops. Pop, pop. I was walking toward him and that’s when he and I knew I was shot.”
She saw her family had been struck by gunshots.
“I could see a big pile of blood on the ground,” she said.
There was nothing regular about this night, and three years later, nothing can be regular again.
WARMINGTON: A family suffers on third anniversary of the Chicken Land murder
On May 29, 2021, the Akl family was living the Canadian dream. As the sun was setting that day, their dream would become a nightmare.