Canadian man pleads guilty to joining ISIS, serving as translator
Dec. 11 (UPI) -- A Saudi-born Canadian man has pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court to charges he fought for the Islamic State and played a key role in the militant group's recruitment efforts.
U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III of the Eastern District of Virginia accepted the plea deal entered by Mohammed Khalifa, 38, on Friday.
Prosecutors said Khalifa traveled to Syria in 2013 and joined ISIS, swearing his allegiance to leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Due to his proficiency in both English and Arabic, Khalifa provided narration and translation for about 15 videos created by ISIS, some of which depicted scenes of violence, executions and attacks. In two videos, he's shown executing two Syrian soldiers.
During his time with the group, the ISIS Media Bureau was also responsible for releasing images and videos showing the slayings of James Foley and Steven Sotloff, U.S. journalists who were taken hostage.
The Justice Department said he fought with the group until 2019, when he was captured by members of the Syrian Democratic Forces. They handed him over to the U.S. government for prosecution.
Khalifa is scheduled to be sentenced April 15, facing up to life in prison.
Canadian Man, Narrator of Daesh Propaganda Videos, Pleads Guilty
© AP Photo / Militant website
The former Canadian IT worker was captured by Syrian Defence Forces in 2019 and held overseas until he was brought to Virginia earlier this year to face charges.
A Canadian citizen, Mohammed Khalifa, suspected in the United States of assisting the Daesh* terrorist group has pleaded guilty.
The 38-year-old Canadian had confessed to conducting executions for Daesh on two occasions, the US Department of Justice said.
Also, according to the Department of Justice, Khalifa took part in the hostilities in Syria on the side of the terrorists.
“In addition to serving as a fighter and executing two Syrian soldiers on behalf of ISIS, Khalifa served as a lead translator in ISIS’s propaganda production and the English-speaking narrator on multiple ISIS videos,” the US Department of Justice said, as quoted by Global News.
According to court records, Khalifa left Canada for Syria in 2013.
Prosecutors said that Khalifa narrated two Daesh propaganda videos: "Flames of War" in 2014 and "Flames of War II" in 2017.
The former Toronto IT worker was collaborating with Daesh terrorist group between 2013 and 2019.
Khalifa was born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In Toronto, he graduated in Computer Systems Technology from Seneca College and worked for Kelly Services, a temp agency, which placed him with IBM. In 2013, he began listening to online lectures from a radical Islamic preacher.
*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia
Dec. 11 (UPI) -- A Saudi-born Canadian man has pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court to charges he fought for the Islamic State and played a key role in the militant group's recruitment efforts.
U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III of the Eastern District of Virginia accepted the plea deal entered by Mohammed Khalifa, 38, on Friday.
Prosecutors said Khalifa traveled to Syria in 2013 and joined ISIS, swearing his allegiance to leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Due to his proficiency in both English and Arabic, Khalifa provided narration and translation for about 15 videos created by ISIS, some of which depicted scenes of violence, executions and attacks. In two videos, he's shown executing two Syrian soldiers.
During his time with the group, the ISIS Media Bureau was also responsible for releasing images and videos showing the slayings of James Foley and Steven Sotloff, U.S. journalists who were taken hostage.
The Justice Department said he fought with the group until 2019, when he was captured by members of the Syrian Democratic Forces. They handed him over to the U.S. government for prosecution.
Khalifa is scheduled to be sentenced April 15, facing up to life in prison.
Canadian Man, Narrator of Daesh Propaganda Videos, Pleads Guilty
© AP Photo / Militant website
The former Canadian IT worker was captured by Syrian Defence Forces in 2019 and held overseas until he was brought to Virginia earlier this year to face charges.
A Canadian citizen, Mohammed Khalifa, suspected in the United States of assisting the Daesh* terrorist group has pleaded guilty.
The 38-year-old Canadian had confessed to conducting executions for Daesh on two occasions, the US Department of Justice said.
Also, according to the Department of Justice, Khalifa took part in the hostilities in Syria on the side of the terrorists.
“In addition to serving as a fighter and executing two Syrian soldiers on behalf of ISIS, Khalifa served as a lead translator in ISIS’s propaganda production and the English-speaking narrator on multiple ISIS videos,” the US Department of Justice said, as quoted by Global News.
According to court records, Khalifa left Canada for Syria in 2013.
Prosecutors said that Khalifa narrated two Daesh propaganda videos: "Flames of War" in 2014 and "Flames of War II" in 2017.
The former Toronto IT worker was collaborating with Daesh terrorist group between 2013 and 2019.
Khalifa was born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In Toronto, he graduated in Computer Systems Technology from Seneca College and worked for Kelly Services, a temp agency, which placed him with IBM. In 2013, he began listening to online lectures from a radical Islamic preacher.
*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia
THEY ARE SUNNI JIHADIS FOLLOWING SAUDI WAHABIST IDEOLOGY
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