Somali refugee claimant Abdulahi Sharif who staged two terror attacks in Edmonton, Canada, is a person who had been deported from the US but Canada is not disclosing exactly why Abdulahi Sharif was ordered deported by U.S. immigration officials, citing privacy laws.
“According to U.S. authorities, he was not detained for criminal activity,” a spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told Global News, a Toronto-based TV news channel. “Only individuals who are inadmissible, including for serious criminality, would be ineligible to make an asylum claim.”
An email from Customs and Border Protection in the U.S., however, revealed Sharif arrived, on foot, at a port of entry along the California-Mexico border, without any documents or legal status to enter the US. Being detained for immigration purposes in the US would have no bearing on Sharif’s ability to make an asylum claim in Canada, the spokesman said.
On Tuesday, shortly after Sharif made his first court appearance as the sole suspect in two vehicle attacks, U.S. officials confirmed an immigration judge had ordered Sharif in 2011 be “removed to Somalia.” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said they transferred Sharif into custody at a San Diego detention centre on July 15, 2011.
On Sept. 22, 2011, an immigration judge ordered Sharif removed to Somalia, and he waived his right to appeal the decision. About a month later, on Nov. 23, Sharif was released from custody on a supervision order due to a “lack of likelihood of his removal in the reasonably foreseeable future,” U.S. immigration officials said in a statement.
Sharif missed an appointment two months later, in January 2012, with the U.S. department overseeing deportations, and any efforts to locate him were unsuccessful.
No terrorism-related offences in US
Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government is “looking into” exactly what happened to allow Sharif, who was under a deportation order in the U.S., to claim asylum in Canada.
Abdulahi Sharif, 30, has been charged with five counts of attempted murder, four counts of criminal flight causing bodily harm, dangerous driving and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced at a news conference at Edmonton police headquarters last week. The RCMP’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET) has taken over the investigation.
The driver rammed a lone police traffic officer with his car on Saturday night in Edmonton then jumped out and stabbed him repeatedly before fleeing on foot.
A few hours later a U-Haul cube van was stopped at a checkpoint north of downtown. When the driver was asked for his licence, the name on the identification was found to be similar to that of the registered owner of white Malibu that hit the police officer. When confronted, the U-Haul sped off toward downtown with police cars in pursuit.
The van intentionally swerved at pedestrians in crosswalks and hit four people, according to Chief Rod Knecht, Edmonton Police Service.
He said an Islamic State flag was found on the front seat of the car and was seized as evidence. The injuries of the officer and the four pedestrians are not grave, according to hospital sources.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the violent events overnight as a “terrorist attack” and a “senseless act of violence.” He said in a statement: “Early reports indicate that this is another example of the hate that we must remain ever vigilant against,” lauding first responders and police officers. “We cannot – and will not – let violent extremism take root in our communities. We know that Canada’s strength comes from our diversity, and we will not be cowed by those who seek to divide us or promote fear.”
