Canadian Man Trying to Join Daesh Turned in By Taxi Driver, Faces Jail at Home

He is the most recent Canadian convicted of Daesh-related terrorism, following the trials of Canadian Tire attacker Rehab Dughmosh and Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy, who plotted attacks in New York.

Canadian national Pamir Hakimzadah faces up to six years in prison for attacking a person, causing bodily harm, and also for trying to join Daesh one year earlier.

Originally, Hakimzadah was arrested after his victim reported him to police in 2016. He was charged with attacking the person, whose name is protected, a year earlier. However, during the course of investigation, an entirely different offense came up: leaving the country in order to join a terror group.

Under Canadian law, leaving the nation for terrorism is a criminal offence. In 2014, Hakimzadah traveled to Turkey in order to join Daesh's self-proclaimed caliphate, which was at the peak of its power at the time. However, he was apprehended by Turkish police before he could reach Syria, according to a Global News report.

Meanwhile, Pamir Hakimzadah appeared in a Toronto courtroom by video yesterday after being charged with leaving Canada to join ISIL. pic.twitter.com/zQ7HHt1fnC

— Stewart Bell (@StewGlobal) 27 апреля 2017 г.

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According to court papers, beginning in 2013, Hakimzadah began showing what an agreed facts statement called "increasingly radical Islamic beliefs. He spoke either in favor or defense of Daesh."

Using a web browser that guarded his anonymity, he watched Daesh propaganda videos online and examined websites that provided instructions on how to get into Syria, the report says.

However, upon reaching Turkey, he was turned in by a suspicious taxi driver.

While prosecutors are seeking a six-year sentence, minus time Hakimzadah already served in prison, the defense is asking for a three-year sentence, in which case he would be released almost immediately after sentencing.

The defense also proposed a de-radicalization plan for Hakimzadah, which includes taking religious counselling from an imam at the Risalah Foundation in Vaughan, Ontario, and visits to a psychiatrist.

The defence presented letters from his family in which Hakimzadah is described as a "backbone of the family" and as a mentor who taught religion, Arabic and other subjects to children at a Toronto mosque.

None of 17 letters acknowledged him having extremist views, which led prosecutors to question the defense's de-radicalization plan.

Hakimzadah reportedly fully accepted responsibility for his actions, adding that he would abide by any conditions imposed on him and was looking forward to moving on with his life.