Yemeni allegedly caught leaving Ontario to join terror group remains in custody
A Yemeni accused of trying to leave Canada to join a terrorist group appeared in court north of Toronto on Thursday for a bail hearing.
Husam Taha Ali Al-Sewaiee, 32, was arrested by RCMP national security officers on April 19 and remains in custody.
He has not been charged with any crimes.
Instead, Crown prosecutors have asked the court for a terrorism peace bond that would restrict his movements in the name of public safety.
The RCMP announced the arrest on Friday in a news release that did not name Al-Sewaiee or the terrorist group he is accused of attempting to join.
But at a court appearance in Brampton, Ont., a judge ruled he could be publicly identified. Al-Sewaiee required an Arabic interpreter during the proceedings.
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A publication ban prevents news organizations from reporting on the allegations leveled against Al-Sewaiee at his bail hearing, which continues on May 8.
His lawyer Samara Sector declined to comment.
On social media accounts, a man with the same name described himself as a self-employed Vancouver-area resident. Recent posts showed him at Toronto's Pearson airport.
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He wrote on Facebook that he was from Yemen, where the U.S. military has been conducting air strikes against Houthis that have attacked Israel and commercial ships.
Several of his online posts concerned Gaza, and a video appeared to show him at a large demonstration wearing the Yemeni flag like a cape while waving a Palestinian flag.
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According to his court file, obtained by Global News, police have alleged they have reasonable grounds to fear Al-Sewaiee 'may commit a terrorism offense.'
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No other details were provided but two sources familiar with the case said he is accused of attempting to join an Iranian-backed terrorist faction in the Middle East.
The charges list his address as a home in Kitchener, Ont. The owner of the residence said that while Al-Sewaiee was a family friend, he did not live there.
'He's like homeless,' she said. 'I don't know anything about him, I just hear from my husband he seriously has mental issues.'
1:53
Over 60 dead after US strike on migrant detention center in Yemen, local officials say
Peace bonds have become a key national security tool for dealing with those who have left, or tried to leave, Canada to join terrorist groups.
If upheld by the courts, they impose temporary restrictions on suspects such as ankle monitors and driving bans intended to limit the risks of an attack.
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But they have not always worked. Winnipeg resident Aaron Driver was placed on a terrorism peace bond to stop him from leaving Canada to join ISIS.
He nonetheless built a suicide bomb, which he detonated in 2016 when police surrounded him as he was leaving his Ontario home to conduct an attack.
More recently, most of the Canadian ISIS women who have returned from Syria have been placed on terrorism peace bonds but not charged.
Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca
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