# Canadian Arrested in Afghanistan



## George Wallace (11 May 2007)

This should open some eyes:

Reported in accordance to the Fair Dealings Act.

*Canadian citizen arrested in Kabul: report*

A Canadian citizen has been arrested in Kabul on suspicion of attending a militant training camp, according to a newspaper report.


The man's identity hasn't been released, but he is a 24-year-old man of Pakistani origin, the Globe and Mail reported on Friday.

The man used to live in Calgary and was carrying a Canadian passport at the time of his arrest, said the report.

Foreign Affairs has confirmed a Canadian has been arrested and embassy staff have consular access to him, said the newspaper.

Afghan police reportedly arrested the man at a police station in Kabul within the past few days.

They allege he travelled to an insurgent camp in the Waziristan region of Afghanistan, an area along the border with Pakistan where it's believed Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters are based.

More than 2,000 Canadians are serving in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar region as part of the NATO-led mission. Since the mission started five years ago, 54 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed.

With files from the Canadian Press

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
© 2007 Bell Canada, Microsoft Corporation and/or their contributors. All rights reserved.   Terms of Use    Advertise   Privacy Statement   About Us


----------



## KwaiLo (11 May 2007)

It makes me sad that he was willing to carry arms against the people who took him in.


----------



## KevinB (11 May 2007)

At 24 he was 18 (ish) when 911 happened.

  It irks me to no end that treason still is not a capital offence.


----------



## GAP (11 May 2007)

If the Afghan government can make the accusations stick, Canada needs to wash its' hands of this jerk, void his citizenship/status and leave him to his chosen lifestyle. Even if the charges don't stick, revoke his citizenship/status and ship him back to Pakistan. 

Better yet, take out the garbage...


----------



## Juvat (11 May 2007)

I agree, his citizenship should be revoked and he should be barred entry to Canada.  Let him enjoy Afghan hospitality for an indefinite period of time.


----------



## Retired AF Guy (11 May 2007)

More on the arrest from th G & M:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070511.wafghan11/BNStory/Afghanistan/home


----------



## Flip (11 May 2007)

I believe the liberals now have a new poster boy.

If he stubs his toe, the liberals will scream bloody blue murder.
If he disappears, the liberals will scream.
If he isn't rushed right home for a cup of hot cocoa the liberals will scream.

I hope the Afghans can prove something.
But then what?


----------



## Mike Baker (11 May 2007)

Infidel-6 said:
			
		

> It irks me to no end that treason still is not a capital offence.





			
				GAP said:
			
		

> If the Afghan government can make the accusations stick, Canada needs to wash its' hands of this jerk, void his citizenship/status and leave him to his chosen lifestyle. Even if the charges don't stick, revoke his citizenship/status and ship him back to Pakistan.
> 
> Better yet, take out the garbage...


+1 on both parts.


----------



## NL_engineer (11 May 2007)

Infidel-6 said:
			
		

> At 24 he was 18 (ish) when 911 happened.
> 
> It irks me to no end that treason still is not a capital offence.





			
				GAP said:
			
		

> If the Afghan government can make the accusations stick, Canada needs to wash its' hands of this jerk, void his citizenship/status and leave him to his chosen lifestyle. Even if the charges don't stick, revoke his citizenship/status and ship him back to Pakistan.
> 
> Better yet, take out the garbage...



1+ to both


----------



## GUNS (11 May 2007)

Step softly but carry a big stick.

Remember the Arar million dollar payout. 

Maybe this person will claim he was tortured by the Afghan's and want millions of dollars as well.

If it worked once.....


----------



## medaid (12 May 2007)

once his citizenship is revoked, he's no longer the Canadian government's problem. I say revoke them once we can prove that he was attending a Terrorist Training Camp.


----------



## Dale Denton (12 May 2007)

GUNS said:
			
		

> Step softly but carry a big stick.
> 
> Remember the Arar million dollar payout.
> 
> ...



"Step softly but carry a big stick." Seems you know American history, but how does Roosevelt's poilcy in S. America have to do with this?
Wasn't it proved that he was sent and tortured in Syria? 

+1 to all above posts


----------



## warspite (12 May 2007)

Infidel-6 said:
			
		

> It irks me to no end that treason still is not a capital offence.


I'm clapping as I read this....


----------



## cameron (12 May 2007)

If he's willing to take up arms against a country that granted him citizenship, especially while so many others are fighting and dying for that country, then that citizenship should be revoked, and whatever the Afghans do to him is his damn problem, NOT Canada's.  I also agree with Infidel-6, time to start making these kinds of people swing in the wind (got rope anyone?).


----------



## The Bread Guy (12 May 2007)

I'm pleased to see SOMEONE of the faith in Canada at least tried to get him straight.  Also, we appear to have a name, too - not much success with Googling, though, because the name appears to be a reasonably common one, shared by some doctors, academics and journalists.  Shared with the usual disclaimer....

*Alberta imam believes he met man held in Kabul*
COLIN FREEZE, Globe and Mail, 12 May 07
Article link

An Alberta imam says he's almost certain he knows the identity of the young Canadian being held in Afghanistan on suspicion of joining the insurgency.

Sheikh Alaa Elsayed says that just a few months ago he urged a University of Calgary computer-science student, who had been “brainwashed” by Internet propaganda, to dispense with notions of fighting the jihad in Afghanistan. The young man's father was so worried his son would go overseas to fight for Islam that he arranged a conference with the cleric.

Imam Elsayed, who now fears he failed to persuade the young man, says he is free to talk about the substance of the meeting but not to disclose the identity of the participants because he hasn't spoken to the family this week.

*“You are going to put 65,000 Muslims in Calgary in jeopardy,” *he recalls telling the young man, warning him that his Afghanistan plans were not supported by Islam and could prompt a severe backlash.

“His father was in a desperate mood,” the imam recalled, saying the talk was set up as a last-ditch attempt to keep the young man in Canada.

Friday, The Globe and Mail reported that Afghan police detained a Canadian on suspicion of joining the insurgency after he allegedly attended a training camp in Waziristan, Pakistan.

He was identified only as a 24-year-old of Pakistani origin whose family lived in Manchester, England, before moving to Calgary. Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay Friday said he couldn't comment on the case for “privacy reasons.”

But Imam Elsayed, who is well regarded among Calgary Muslims for his outgoing nature and his facility with youth, said the description of the prisoner matches the young man he chastised, right down to the suspect's age and “where he wanted to go.”

*The imam said he had used the Koran to back up his arguments about the sanctity of life, the nuance of non-violent jihad and exhortations against unjust war. But the young man said he was going to Afghanistan because “he heard on the Internet it is an obligation on all Muslims to do this.”*

The imam said he has turned around other young Muslims drawn to an angry, “cut-and-paste” interpretation of Islam that's making the rounds on the Internet. But it can't always be done: “It's difficult to make a U-turn when you're full throttle ahead,” he said.

The identity of the potential jihadi st from Calgary was much discussed in Alberta after Friday prayers Friday. The new president of the Muslim Students Association at the University of Calgary said he thinks he met the prisoner at school last year.

“You would see him in the hall,” Shiraz Khan said. But, he added, “I haven't seen him for a long time, probably since he graduated – I believe it was last year.”

He said the young man was very quiet and didn't mix with other students.

Emissaries of the Canadian government have visited the prisoner, who is being held in Kabul. Canadian officials do not generally confirm the identity of prisoners held abroad unless families give their consent.


*Albertan held in Afghan terror probe*
CanWest News Service, 12 May 07
Article link

An Alberta man arrested in Kabul and under investigation for possible ties to terrorism could face trial in Afghanistan depending on the outcome of the police probe, Afghanistan's ambassador to Canada said yesterday.

Sohail Qureshi, 24, who graduated with a degree in computer science from the University of Calgary last year, was taken into custody in the Afghan capital this week because of suspicions he had attended militant training camps in Pakistan.

In Halifax, Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay said the man was getting help from the Canadian embassy in Kabul. "At this point in time, for privacy reasons, we're not at liberty to say a lot about this case, but it is somewhat unusual." A Canadian citizen of Pakistani heritage, Qureshi left the country three months ago and did not return as planned in April. Omar Samad, Afghanistan's ambassador to Canada, cautioned that his government was still trying to confirm the identity of the man arrested by Afghan police.

"It seems that he may have left Canada prior to going to Pakistan and is of South Asian origin, who may have immigrated from another country to Canada," the ambassador said.

"This is not the first time that we see individuals that may have citizenship of a Western country, or any country, but also sympathies to radicalism and sympathies with terrorist organizations," Samad said.

"We've had all kinds of people in the past with this type of involvement. That's why it's so important for all of us, and for all countries to be very careful in not being too lax." He said the investigation was still in the early stages, but that if police forward the case to the attorney general for prosecution, the Canadian will be given a defence lawyer.


----------



## George Wallace (12 May 2007)

This will also give weight to one side in the Dual Citizenship Debate.  Even though Pakistan was once a part of the British Empire, will that change opinions as to whether or not British and Commonwealth Subjects should be allowed to keep their Citizenship, should they emigrate to Canada?  Will the changes in 'Politics' in their home nation become more relevant than their former status as 'Allies' or Commonwealth members?


----------



## GUNS (12 May 2007)

From what I have read, they know he was in Syria because the American's sent him there.

If I missed something that states otherwise, then they have no actual proof that he was tortured but him saying so.







			
				LoboCanada said:
			
		

> "Step softly but carry a big stick." Seems you know American history, but how does Roosevelt's policy in S. America have to do with this?
> *Wasn't it proved that he was sent and tortured in Syria?*
> 
> +1 to all above posts


----------



## cameron (12 May 2007)

I support dual citizenship, It would be unfair for someone to have to surrender citizenship of their country of birth because of changes in the political landscape back home which they had no control over.  But if they're going to abuse their Canadian citizenship, then I say throw them to the wolves back home.


----------



## sandyson (13 May 2007)

I have difficulty with joint citizenships.  The joint status is like a committee--there is always "on the other hand."  The legal issue needs a sharp line of definition.  E.g. Canadians may not be dual citizens,  Canadians of the Federal age of majority may not be dual, or dual citizenship expires after accepting Canadian citizenship for say 5 years.  The press seems to report more frequently of Canadians of joint citizenship being involved in the troubles of other countries.  E.g. a Canadian is a prominent member of the Scottish independence movement.  For our own reputation-perhaps safety, I think we cannot afford to permit joint citizenship and therefore need some clear legal definition wherein trouble makers such as this Pakistani can be castoff.  On the other hand I am assuming the story is true in all details.


----------



## George Wallace (13 May 2007)

Well the plot thickens:

From msn.ctv.ca.   Posted under the Fair Dealings Act....

*Canadian was on suicide mission, Afghans claim*



> If his reported admissions to Afghan authorities are true, a young Canadian man of Pakistani origin went to Afghanistan to die as a suicide bomber -- just like his brother.
> 
> "(Afghan authorities) say in the written statement that the Canadian has admitted to planning to carry out a suicide bomb attack in the city," CTV's Steve Chao told Newsnet on Saturday.
> 
> ...



More on Link


----------



## armyvern (13 May 2007)

I really hope that they are right with this statement:



> "But if it turns out to be true, it will be the first time in several years that two Canadian brothers or a Canadian family has been involved in Afghanistan fighting alongside or for the Taliban or al Qaeda."



Rather than it turn out to eventually be they just happen to be the first brothers or family _caught_ fighting alongside this Countries enemy in several years. My spidey senses however tell me that there are indeed more Canadians _involved_ who just happen not to have been caught yet.


----------



## Journeyman (13 May 2007)

> it will be the *first time in several years * that two Canadian brothers or a Canadian family has been involved in Afghanistan fighting alongside or for the Taliban or al Qaeda."


 Does the clock reset itself? Is there a statue of limitations on family treason? Does the Khadr family not count, if only because Abdullah was in a Pakistan prison while his little brother Omar was busy killing a US medic in Afghanistan?


----------



## GUNS (13 May 2007)

Canadian's on the whole must understand that Canada is not without its home grown terrorist.

The only thing holding these people back from doing something is, they may be afraid of how the citizens(not government) of Canada would react.

Unfortunately, if the sh*t hits the fan due to a terrorist attack in Canada, many innocent people will suffer because of the action of a few.


----------



## cameron (13 May 2007)

I have the same concern as GUNS that if there is a terrorist attack on Canadian soil, life may become very unpleasant for a lot of loyal, patriotic and hardworking adopted Canadians and landed immigrants simply because of the actions of a few misguided assholes.


----------



## IN HOC SIGNO (13 May 2007)

I really feel for this man's family. If it is true that the other brother went this way too then they have double reasons to be absolutely heartbroken. Having a son who went delinquent myself I know how heartbreaking this is. I heard all the arguments about me and my wife being lousy parents etc...when the reality was that we raised our boys to be good hard working decent fellows. Our oldest is a great kid,,,,,the youngest fell in with a very bad crowd and there was absolutely nothing we could do to turn him around.....and I spent a lot of time, money and effort trying to do so.
So please let's not see any family bashing "apple doesn't fall far from the tree" stuff on here unless it's proven that they are a family like the Kadrs....who were dedicated to the cause. From the accounts of the Imam this is a family who is in the hurt locker tonight....my prayers, Christian though they be, are with them.


----------



## Bruce Monkhouse (14 May 2007)

As one who works with "lost causes", IN HOC SIGNO is 100% correct in his last post.......you would not believe some of the nicest 'salt off the earth'  type people visiting some of the biggest dirtbags that ever had the gall to breath the same air as decent folk.

..and as a personal note regarding suicides, don't forget that once someone has had a person close to them do it, the stigma and/or fear seems to be quite diminished.
One of our red flags on intake......


----------



## 3rd Horseman (14 May 2007)

IN HOC SIGNO said:
			
		

> I really feel for this man's family. If it is true that the other brother went this way too then they have double reasons to be absolutely heartbroken. So please let's not see any family bashing "apple doesn't fall far from the tree" stuff on here unless it's proven that they are a family like the Kadrs....who were dedicated to the cause. From the accounts of the Imam this is a family who is in the hurt locker tonight....my prayers, Christian though they be, are with them.



+1 Padre. Very well said. and for those of us who are non belivers the sentament is the same I am sure just said softly out of concern for the family.


----------



## The Bread Guy (14 May 2007)

cameron said:
			
		

> I have the same concern as GUNS that if there is a terrorist attack on Canadian soil, life may become very unpleasant for a lot of loyal, patriotic and hardworking adopted Canadians and landed immigrants simply because of the actions of a few misguided assholes.



Sad, but true...  However, what would you call those who make the lives of the, in my opinion, majority (say, like the Imam who tried talking buddy out of explosive jihad) who are, indeed, loyal, patriotic and hardworking?  

+100 IN HOC SIGNO...


----------

