A mysterious writer doing propaganda for ISIS’ Afghan branch has claimed to be based somewhere in Canada, which experts say could be a cause for concern for authorities.
Voices of Khorasan, an online publication used by the Islamic State of Khorasan (ISIS-K) suspected of being behind last week’s attacks on Moscow that killed at least 140 people, said a person publishing under the name Sulaiman said: Dawood Al-Kanadi, which includes some contributions by.
The last part of the handle means “Canadian” in Arabic, and has been used by several prominent Canadian-born ISIS members in the past.
Sulaiman Dawood al-Kanadi appears as the author of a vast essay published in June 2023 in which he seems to hint that he is living in obscurity in Western countries. He said Muslim men, “especially in the area where I live,” would rather “wear skinny jeans” and say “free Syria” or “free freedom” than participate in the armed conflict in Syria. They accused him of “stuffing his face with food” at a fundraiser for “Palestine.” On behalf of ISIS.
His name reappeared in a July 2023 article calling for a jihadist invasion of Israel, and again in the August issue, in which the West called for “the oppression and killing of Muslims, the burning of the Koran, the “They are getting bolder because they are returning to Muslim occupation.” Palestinian settlements. ”
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Researchers will contact you
Riccardo Valle, head of research for the Islamabad-based publication Khorasan Diary, has tracked al-Kanadi and others posing as supporters online and joining the broader ISIS-K movement. . He contacted Al-Kanadi and provided CBC News with screenshots of his discussions with Al-Kanadi about his work on Voice of Khurasan.
“He said he was in Canada, but he wouldn’t tell me which part of Canada he was from,” Valle said.
Mr. Valle presented evidence of an inactive Facebook profile in which Mr. Al-Kanadi claimed to be from Toronto but living in Laval, Kenya.
One expert said the appearance of ISIS-K members calling themselves “Canadians” could be alarming for authorities.
“The fact that he was able to operate on such a public scale for so long is alarming,” said the co-founder of Militant Wire, a research network that has been closely monitoring ISIS-K online. Lucas Weber said.
“I think the Moscow attacks in particular are changing the narrative and waking up the international community to the threat, the scale of the threat, that the Islamic State, especially the Afghan branch, faces.”
“The emergence of Canadian media operatives believed to be working for Canada’s South Asia branch is concerning as ISIS-K becomes increasingly belligerent in intensifying its campaign to attack Western countries. It’s worth it.”
In an emailed statement, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) said it is monitoring ISIS-K and expects it to remain active at least through the rest of the year.
“CSIS assesses that globally inspired attacks will continue at an unpredictable pace through 2024. are involved,” the spokesperson said.
The RCMP, which is tasked with tracking and deterring terrorist threats in Canada, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
take advantage of confusion
In recent years, ISIS-K has taken advantage of the chaos that has gripped Afghanistan since the Taliban regained control in August 2021 to establish a base in the country and increase its global operations. (Khorasan refers to the historical region that includes parts of modern-day Iran, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan).
Canadians have become ISIS’ most prolific spokespeople in recent years. Calgary native Farah Mohamed Shirdon, who appeared in a promotional video burning Canadian passports, was one of the group’s first spokespeople to rise to online fame in 2014. Mohamed Khalifa, who lived in Toronto, was known as Britain’s “spokesperson for ISIS” in propaganda videos. Both used the similar alias “al-Kanadi”.
Amarnath Amarasingam, an assistant professor in the School of Religious Studies at Queen’s University and an expert on ISIS, says Canadians, like other English speakers, continue to be potential recruits to terrorist groups.
“Canadians have always been central to the ISIS propaganda machine for almost a decade,” said Amarasingam, who has had contact with several Canadian ISIS operatives in the past.
He also believes that al-Kanadi is Canadian.
“Canadian authorities have probably known about him for a long time, because even researchers have been seeing his prolific output for some time now,” he said.
”[The RCMP] Just as the front lines of jihad move to other arenas, English propagandists will likely be very concerned, as they have great potential to attract new fighters to the cause. ”
