A member of the Toronto 18 terror group that planned attacks on Canadian targets nearly a decade ago has died while fighting in Syria, CTV News has confirmed.
Ali Mohamed Dirie served two years in prison for his role in the plot to blow up the Parliament buildings and other landmarks, assassinate the prime minister and kidnap politicians.
He was first arrested in 2005, before police rounded up other members of the group in 2006. In 2009, Dirie pleaded guilty to his role in the plot and was sentenced to seven years in jail. He spent two years in prison after receiving credit for time served.
During his trial, court heard that he spent his time in custody trying to recruit fellow inmates for terror plots and procure weapons and travel documents.
When he appeared before a parole hearing in 2010, Dirie said he was a changed man, and no longer advocated violence to achieve political goals.
Dirie told National Parole Board officials that although he opposed Canada’s role in the war in Afghanistan, “I don’t intend to bring about change by damaging Canada to make them change their ways.”
Submissions to the Parole Board said otherwise, suggesting he still posed a threat and was not a suitable parole candidate.
Dirie served out his sentence at a Quebec facility for the most violent inmates, and was released in 2011.
A long-term supervision order was not included in his sentence, so Correctional Services Canada was unable to monitor him following his release.
Dirie was born in Somalia and came to Canada at the age of seven. He lived with his mother in Scarborough, an east-end suburb of Toronto.
With files from The Canadian Press
