MOSCOW, September 4 (RIA Novosti) - Three Canadians were directly involved in the kidnapping of two American journalists by Islamic militants in Syria, Agence France-Presse reported Thursday, referring to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation stated that the Canadian citizens drained bank accounts of American captives, named Theo Curtis and Matt Schrier, and forced them to reveal their computer passwords. The Canadians also wrote to the hostages’ families, pretending to speak from their names.
Curtis and Schrier were held in captivity together between 2012 and 2013. Curtis was released by the Al-Nusra Front last month, while Schrier escaped last year.
Ottawa refused to comment on the case, saying that these are “operational matters of national security.”
According to official Ottawa’s statements, around 130 Canadians are currently fighting overseas for Islamist militant groups, but some say that the real figures are much higher.
About 500 Britons and several thousand individuals from the United States are also believed to be fighting for the Islamic State militant group, which is currently operating in the tettitories of Syria and Iraq.
According to the US State Department, around 12,000 foreigners have joined the extremists fighting against government forces in Syria since the start of the conflict.
The above countries’ governments are trying to ban the nationals fighting for the extremist groups abroad from returning home.
On Monday, British Prime Minister David Cameron Cameron said the UK was actively looking at additional specific powers that would allow the authorities to ban British Jihadist suspects from returning home.
In June, Ottawa officials were granted new powers to strip Canadian citizenship from dual nationals, who engage in acts of terrorism or fight against the country’s military abroad.
