Canadian linked to terrorist group was killed in suicide attack in Somalia:
community source
Stewart Bell | 13/04/15 | Last Updated: 13/04/15 10:34 PM ET
A Canadian who traveled to Somalia in 2009 to join the armed Islamist group
Al Shabab died in a suicide attack in the capital Mogadishu on the weekend,
a community source familiar with the case said Monday.
The RCMP said it was looking into whether a Canadian was involved in the
deadly attack on the Mogadishu courts. If confirmed, Mahad Ali Dhore, would
be the second member of the so-called Somali Six known to have died.
Several sources in Toronto's large Somali-Canadian community said Dhore's
family had been informed of his death. "It's a fact," said one, although he
said it was uncertain Dhore had been one of the suicide attackers.
According to another scenario, he said, Dhore had been arrested and was
making a court appearance when fellow Al Shabab members stormed the complex.
At least 29 died and 58 were injured from gunfire and explosions.
Mohamed Abdiwahab/AFP/Getty Images
Mohamed Abdiwahab/AFP/Getty ImagesCars burn on April 14, 2013, in Mogadishu,
after a suicide bomber attack in the regional court premises that left
several dead. Gunmen wearing suicide vests stormed the main court complex in
Mogadishu on April 14, killing at least five people before holing themselves
up as Somali and African forces surrounded the building.
Al Shabab is an Al Qaeda-linked extremist group that has been fighting to
impose its version of Islamic law on Somalis. Dozens of Canadians and
Americans have joined the group, responding in many cases to online
propaganda.
The weekend attack was being interpreted as a last gasp attempt by Al Shabab
to demonstrate it remains relevant following months of infighting and losses
to government and peacekeeping forces that have returned peace to the
devastated capital following years of conflict.
On Sunday, six suicide bombers shattered the newfound calm, detonating their
explosive vests. A car bomb also exploded near the national airport. Al
Shabab claimed responsibility on Twitter, writing that "there is no safe
haven for apostates in Mogadishu!"
The Somali Prime Minister, Abdi Farah Shirdon, said in a statement he was
concerned about "foreign involvement" in the attack. He did not identify
which nationalities he was referring to, but an official said a Canadian who
left Toronto in 2009 was believed involved.
"The RCMP is aware there are media reports linking a Canadian to terrorist
attacks in Mogadishu," said Sgt. Greg Cox, an RCMP media relations officer.
"We cannot provide specific details but are working with relevant domestic
and international partners to gather information. We have nothing further to
provide at this time."
Dhore, who immigrated to Canada from Somalia at age nine, was almost
finished his degree at York University when he left the country four years
ago.
He was 25 at the time. He told his family he intended to stay with an aunt
in Kenya.
AFP Photo / Mohamed Abdiwahab
AFP Photo / Mohamed Abdiwahab Somali police run for cover April 14, 2013
after gunmen wearing suicide vests stormed the main court complex in
Mogadishu, killing at least five people before holing themselves up as
Somali and African forces surrounded the building
But he never used the return portion of his ticket and Canadian authorities
suspected he had crossed into Somalia along with a handful of other Toronto
men, one of whom was later reportedly killed while fighting with Al Shabab.
"Mahad was a very nice guy. He was compassionate, he was very helpful," a
cousin said following his disappearance. "If I needed some help I used to
call him, like to shovel the snow or with the car."
The departure of the young men prompted the federal government to add Al
Shabab to Ottawa's list of outlawed terrorist groups, while the
Somali-Canadian community began taking steps to tackle the problem of
radicalization.
The report of Dhore's death comes as the RCMP is investigating how two young
classmates from London, Ont., ended up dead while apparently taking part in
a terrorist attack at an Algerian gas plant in January. A third member of
the circle was arrested in Mauritania after he was allegedly recruited to
fight with Al Qaeda in Mali.
==========================================
(F)AIR USE NOTICE: All original content and/or articles and graphics in this
message are copyrighted, unless specifically noted otherwise. All rights to
these copyrighted items are reserved. Articles and graphics have been placed
within for educational and discussion purposes only, in compliance with
"Fair Use" criteria established in Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976.
The principle of "Fair Use" was established as law by Section 107 of The
Copyright Act of 1976. "Fair Use" legally eliminates the need to obtain
permission or pay royalties for the use of previously copyrighted materials
if the purposes of display include "criticism, comment, news reporting,
teaching, scholarship, and research." Section 107 establishes four criteria
for determining whether the use of a work in any particular case qualifies
as a "fair use". A work used does not necessarily have to satisfy all four
criteria to qualify as an instance of "fair use". Rather, "fair use" is
determined by the overall extent to which the cited work does or does not
substantially satisfy the criteria in their totality. If you wish to use
copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you
must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
THIS DOCUMENT MAY CONTAIN COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL. COPYING AND DISSEMINATION IS
PROHIBITED WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT OWNERS.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment