First Canadian Charged Over Involvement With Militants in Syria

Local Editor

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced terrorism charges on Wednesday against a 25-year-old Canadian for allegedly traveling to Syria to fight alongside militant fighters.

He is the first person charged in Canada over alleged involvement with militants in Syria, which has attracted dozens of radicalized Canadian extremists amid concerns they could bring their violence and militant ideology back to Canada.

Sergeant Greg Cox said in a statement: "On July 17, 2014, the RCMP Integrated National Security Enforcement Team [INSET] in British Columbia charged Hasibullah Yusufzai, age 25, a resident of Burnaby, British Columbia, for leaving Canada to take part in terrorist activity."

"The accused is being sought for leaving Canada on January 21, 2014, to commit an offence for the benefit of, at the direction of or in association with a terrorist group," he said.

"The individual is known to have traveled to Syria to join...[militant] fighters," he added.

The charges against Hasibullah Yusufzai are the first ever laid against a Canadian under a new law passed last year that criminalized travel abroad for the purpose of terrorist activities.

Moreover, Canada's spy service estimates that more than 100 young men have left Canada to fight in foreign wars and join "jihadist" causes.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team