Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi, 62, left, in a courtroom sketch with his son, Mostafa Eldidi, as they appeared via video for a hearing in Newmarket, Ont., on Aug. 1. The father became a Canadian citizen in May, 2024, and was arrested, with his son, at the end of July.Alexandra Newbould/The Canadian Press
The federal Public Safety Minister acknowledged that a terror suspect was granted Canadian citizenship two months before being arrested with his son on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack in Toronto.
Dominic LeBlanc revealed that fact Wednesday during an appearance before the Commons public safety and national security committee. During his testimony, he laid out a timeline on the government’s handling of matters related to Ahmed Eldidi and his son, Mostafa Eldidi. Both men are from Egypt.
The father became a Canadian citizen in May, 2024, and was arrested, with his son, at the end of July.
The minister and senior officials from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) also faced questions from Conservative members of the committee about the elder Mr. Eldidi’s presence in a 2015 video produced by the Islamic State that allegedly showed him committing acts of violence.
Mr. LeBlanc was pressed by Conservative MP Frank Caputo about how Mr. Eldidi and his son spent six years in Canada “flying under the radar” before coming to the attention of police and intelligence officials.
In response, Mr. LeBlanc praised the “very effective work” of the RCMP, CSIS and others on the case, noting that arrests were made in the case before any risk was presented to Canadians.
Immigration Minister says Ottawa may revoke terror suspect’s citizenship
The minister said he was briefed July 24 by CSIS, who told him they had been assessing the threat from the individuals based on recent intelligence. Four days later, the Eldidis were arrested in Richmond Hill, north of Toronto.
“That’s exactly the kind of work we rely on our police services, the RCMP and their partners like CSIS, to do every day.”
On July 31, the RCMP announced that the father and son face nine terrorism charges, including conspiracy to commit murder on behalf of the Islamic State.
The older man also faces a Canadian charge alleging that, in 2015, he committed an aggravated assault in a foreign country “for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with” the Islamic State. Sources have told Global News that the charge stems from the video that shows a man dismembering a prisoner with a sword.
The Islamic State was designated as a terrorist group in Canada in 2012, when the group’s members had begun carving out a self-styled caliphate out of Syria and Iraq while its leaders urged followers to launch attacks on people in the West.
According to the timeline issued by Mr. LeBlanc, the elder Mr. Eldidi sought a visitor visa in 2017, was initially refused, but received the visa after providing additional documentation.
In 2018, he entered Canada at Lester B. Pearson Airport, and later that year he received a work permit. In 2021, he became a permanent resident and in May, 2024, he was granted Canadian citizenship.
The documentation references six incidents of security screening efforts involving Mr. Eldidi
The same document said Mr. Eldidi’s son, Mostafa, entered Canada at the Fort Erie land border from the United States in February, 2020, and made an asylum claim. In July, 2022, he was granted refugee status.
Conservative MP Larry Brock, referring to the video, noted that the official timeline provided to the committee noted that security screenings by CBSA and CSIS came back with favourable recommendations.
Mr. Brock wondered how Mr. Eldidi was not flagged with advanced biometrics. “What the hell is going on?”
In response, Mr. LeBlanc said Mr. Brock was performing for a social-media clip, and that he thought it be best to be cautious talking about criminal evidence.
“At the time when the relevant decisions were being made by the Immigration Department and the security services were doing their work, the existence of that video, or the information that you have recounted to the committee now was not available,” he said.
Vanessa Lloyd, CSIS interim director, said that despite the video, there was no failure by national-security officials in light of the way he was treated despite the video.
“I would respectfully disagree with the premise that there was a failure in this case,” Ms. Lloyd told the committee, noting that national-security investigations worked in this case.
“Public safety is the service’s number 1 priority, and we are mindful of the potential threats that cross into our borders as well as those that exist here, and we work very hard on an ongoing basis to address those threats.”
Mark Kersten: Canada should prosecute Ahmed Eldidi for war crimes
Mr. LeBlanc said his department is reviewing the case, and will make changes subject to any conclusions from the effort.
Aaron McCrorie, CBSA vice-president of intelligence and enforcement, said the organization made the best decisions possible in these matters with the available information.
“What I am telling Canadians is we’re asking ourselves, ‘Can there be improvements made to the system?’ We’re taking a very hard look at that.”
“We’re doing that with partners in CSIS, in [Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada]. We’re going to an analysis of cases and see if we missed anything, whether there are systemic issues, and gaps in the process.”