Mourad smith arrived

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

in 1993, and obtained

refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

status in 1993. Based on allegations of past involvement with the

Armed Islamic Group The Armed Islamic Group (GIA, from french: Groupe Islamique Armé; ar, الجماعة الإسلامية المسلّحة, al-Jamāʿa l-ʾIslāmiyya l-Musallaḥa) was one of the two main Islamist insurgent groups that fought the Algerian gove ...

(GIA) of his native

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

, as well as a connection to

Ahmed Ressam Ahmed Ressam ( ar, احمد رسام; also Benni Noris or the Millennium Bomber; born May 9, 1967) is an Algerian al-Qaeda member who lived for a time in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He received extensive terrorist training in Afghanistan. He was c ...

security certificate In Canada, a security certificate is a legal mechanism by which the Canadian government can detain and deport permanent residents and all other non-citizens (i.e., foreign nationals) living in Canada. It is authorized within the parameters of the ...

was issued in 2001, and on December 12 he was arrested in his home city of

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, Quebec. He was deported to Algeria on February 28, 2003.

Life

In 1994, Ikhlef's brother Nabil also sought entry to Canada as a refugee, but was declined. Nevertheless, he was granted

permanent resident Permanent residency is a person's legal resident status in a country or territory of which such person is not a citizen but where they have the right to reside on a permanent basis. This is usually for a permanent period; a person with such ...

status, and the two brothers would often meet with

, Fateh Kamal and other local Algerians to have coffee and watch television.Docket: DES-8-01
Reasons for Order and Order
March 8, 2002 His brother claims to have travelled to

Naples, Italy Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

alone - where Il Matino magazine published an article stating that both he and Ikhlef were in the country, and

al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...

agents. Following his departure, Algeria tried Ikhlef ''in absentia'' and sentenced him to death for involvement in "terrorism-related activities", which they alleged included travelling to Bosnia and Afghanistan to participate in

jihad Jihad (; ar, جهاد, jihād ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with Go ...

, and training in weapons and explosives, with both

and the Groupe Islamique Armee. Ikhlef denied all the charges to Canadian officials, arguing that the GIA didn't even exist when he left Algeria.

Arrest and deportation

His deportation was carried out by Canadian immigration officials, in a private plane due to the perceived security concerns. Upon arrival Ikhlef was transferred to the control of Algerian

military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear recon ...

, the DRS, and immediately put in detention. He was held for 10 days, during which time his family was unable to obtain his whereabouts. On March 10 he was taken to

court A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance ...

to face three separate charges, but was denied

legal counsel A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solicitor, ...

. While acquitted on one count he was sentenced to 7 years, in 2005, based on "membership in a terrorist group." The evidence for this charge was believed to have been based on statements made by the accused while under duress. Ikhlef was released from prison on March 26, 2006 as part of a national reconciliation program, the controversial

Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation The Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation was a charter proposed by Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in an attempt to bring closure to the Algerian Civil War by offering an amnesty for most violence committed in it. The referendum ...

, but re-arrested one week later by DRS officials.Amnesty International, Unrestrained Powers: Torture by Algeria’s Military Security, July 10, 2006

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ikhlef, Mourad Living people Algerian emigrants to Canada Year of birth missing (living people)