From Terrorist to 'Model Citizen' : Past Error in Judgement

"I'm just so thankful. You will not be sorry."

"I know that you're taking a risk and this is going to be highly mediatized, but in front of all these people and in front of God -- I know I said I was not a religious man, but I do believe in God -- I will not disappoint you."

"You will never hear from me again."

Shareef Abdelhaleem, member of 'Toronto 18' terrorist group

Muhammad Shareef Abdelhaleem. Photo by File

Now 45 years of age, imprisoned for the past 14 years, Abdelhaleem has been granted six months of day parole so he may study in Montreal.There, in an enclosed facility, he will be living for that period. It was noted that the halfway house that had accepted him as a resident later withdrew its support. No reason for that withdrawal was given, but it should have been. Similarly, the Correctional Service of Canada did not recommend this man's release from prison, yet at the hearing, the Parole Board of Canada took its own advice, assenting to parole.

Cautionary conditions accompany that parole; Shareef Abdelhaleem  must not associate with anyone involved in crime or radicalized activity. He must not travel to Toronto without permission from parole officials, and must not accept a position of responsibility "In any spiritual or religious activities or groups that share the same beliefs, this includes the mosque", enumerated the parole board. As well he was ordered to take part in de-radicalization treatment and was limited to ownership of a single cellphone and one SIM card which parole officials were to be given access.

A total of 18 people were arrested in sweeping national security raids in that took place in 2006. They stood accused of plans to detonate powerful truck bombs at key financial, military and intelligence targets. The group had formulated other plans, to storm Parliament, the CBC, to take hostages, and to behead the prime minister. A series of plans which, when revealed publicly sent a deep shiver of shock through the Canadian community.

A young Muslim-Canadian had infiltrated the group to gather human intelligence and evidence, alerting the RCMP to details of the plot, plot rehearsals and where the explosive materials could be found. He was a paid informer without whose cooperation much of the information that ended up in court might never have been gathered. While those of the 18-member terrorist group that were tried and convicted were imprisoned, the young informer completed his university education and is now a professor of terrorism studies at a Canadian university.

Shareef Abdelhaleem was the last of the Toronto 18 to be tried and convicted, named a "key architect" of the bomb plot, given a life sentence without opportunity for parole for a decade ('life sentence' under Canadian law). At his hearing, he stated that he had spent those 14 years in prison ruminating on the actions that brought him to that state. He had been a software developer earning well, spending it all. He drove a BMW convertible, and spent thousands on clothing. "I felt like my presence in the universe had no meaning."

 

"I felt like an overgrown, fat pig whose main purpose in life was to consume more, more, more. And I looked at the whole world around me and there is disasters and suffering." Which was when he decided to take Islam more seriously and began attending mosque, where he met Zakaria Amara, the ringleader of the plot. "He presented what I now think is a ridiculous plot to try to change the world. It seemed like a very fast way to bring about change. It seemed like the right thing to do, I hate to say, back then. Definitely the wrong thing to do from all angles; moral, political, practical, anything. Thank God we were stopped", he said.

 

He may have spent that 14 years in prison carefully rehearing precisely all the notes he had to hit to impress a parole board. He thinks, he went on, of the people of Toronto who woke to read the newspapers "and thought their city was under attack". He feels particularly bad for those who worked in the targeted buildings and read that they might have been victims of a deadly plot. Interesting he could empathize, but would have proceeded with the plot had the opportunity not been interrupted.

 

His time in prison was unpleasant, he said, describing how socially isolating it was for him, shunned by his plotter companions, (who presumably continued to cling to their terrorism obsession, while he did not?)  refusing prison culture and shunned by other prisoners as well, as a result. He had been assaulted physically on several occasions. And never had he made any attempt to radicalize, to convert, or to influence other inmates negatively. The parole hearing took place remotely, audio only. 

 

Temporary release from Cowansville Institution.  

Adrian Humphreys/National Post

There had been a previous parole hearing, at which time his request for parole had met with denial. That was when he was asked if he remains a terrorist, and responded "Not any more, I would rather die than reoffend", leading the questioner to further ask whether he was making reference to martyrdom or suicide attacks. "No, no, it's just an expression, that's not what I meant", he hastily said. On this second parole hearing, he promised: "I will be the model citizen". 

 

That, he promised to be, for to remain in prison would be to 'wither away', a condition  to be avoided at all costs; he would prefer a dreadful illness be visited upon himself rather than to reoffend -- he promised.