Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the government is working “very closely with American partners” and the Iranian diaspora in Canada to target people with ties to Iran’s regime.
The PM was responding to a CBC News report about three businessmen active in Canada who are facing felony charges in the U.S. They’re accused of conspiring to evade U.S. sanctions on Iran.
A U.S. indictment in April 2021 accused Salim Henareh, Khalil Henareh and Saeed Torab Abtahi of playing a role in a scheme with at least seven other people to conceal more than $750 million US worth of transactions on Iran’s behalf to slip past American sanctions.
The businessmen call the allegations baseless and are promoting themselves online as professionals in the world of real estate in Toronto.
Iranian-Canadians accuse the government of doing too little to ensure Canada isn’t a safe haven for the Iranian regime’s business transactions. Trudeau defended the government’s actions on Wednesday, citing the sanctions it has imposed since the fall on Iranian individuals and entities.
“The leadership of Iran and of the Iranian [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] is permanently banned from ever coming to Canada or finding haven here,” said Trudeau. “Obviously, we need to ensure that’s properly enforced, so we’re ensuring the resources to do that.”
Businessmen in Canada wanted by the FBI for allegedly helping Iran
A CBC News investigation has revealed three men wanted by the FBI on felony charges for allegedly helping the Iranian regime are living in Canada.
In October 2022, the government announced it would be spending $76 million to help enforce sanctions on Iran. Some of the money was earmarked for an additional 30 staff members at the RCMP. But the national police force confirmed it’s still working with the Department of Finance on receiving the funds.
“The process is ongoing and its implementation is expected to start during next fiscal year,” wrote Robin Percival, a spokesperson for the RCMP.
Canada’s Department of Justice said these sanctions are not designed to target Canadians or people who ordinarily live here.
A lawyer for the men called his clients “proud Canadians” and the American allegations baseless.
“They have no connection directly or indirectly with the Government of Iran … Our clients look forward to refuting these specious and politically motivated allegations in the appropriate forum at the appropriate time,” their lawyer Gavin Tighe wrote in a statement to CBC News.
The men are not accused of violating any laws in Canada.
It’s not clear if the U.S. has asked Canada to extradite one or all of the three men, since the process is confidential unless it goes to court. There are no extradition proceedings tied to the men in court right now.
The Department of Justice International Assistance Group handles extradition requests by reviewing the evidence and assessing whether the conduct in question is also a criminal offence in Canada, the department said. The group decides whether an extradition request proceeds to the judicial stage.
‘Extradition is a complicated process’: Lametti
Justice Minister David Lametti said he wouldn’t comment on the case Wednesday since matters related to an extradition request “could conceivably” cross his desk.
“Extradition is a complicated process in Canada,” said Lametti.
Michael Nesbitt, a professor at the University of Calgary faculty of law who specializes in sanctions and national security law, said this case involves a number of complications and “undealt-with issues in the Canadian legal realm.”
He said there have been very few Canadian cases tied to U.S. sanctions which “don’t fit perfectly with the Canadian sanctions regime.”
“[It] has to be a crime in Canada for us to extradite,” said Nesbitt. “So we’re not going to extradite a Canadian for something that we would never recognize as a crime.”
While Canada has also imposed sanctions against Iran, the scope of those sanctions could be different, he said.
CBC News asked the Department of Justice if the offences at the heart of the U.S. charges are also considered crimes in Canada.
Department spokesperson Ian McLeod said the department wouldn’t comment “as it would be inappropriate to speculate about the potential for dual criminality in a specific case.”
Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman said Iranian proxies in Canada ‘have gotten rich from the regime itself.’ (Rob Krbavac/CBC)
Conservative MP and deputy party leader Melissa Lantsman said that anyone found by the RCMP to be tied to Iran’s regime and breaking Canadian laws should be stripped of citizenship and “expelled.”
“There are actors from this regime, Canadians who are tied to this regime, who are intimidating, who are raising money, who are organizing and that are getting or have gotten rich from the regime itself,” said Lantsman. “We should use every part of our own authorities to make sure that they’re not.”
She said the sanctions are not broad enough and the Conservatives are calling on the government to list Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp as a terrorist organization under the Criminal Code.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said the government will “continue to be vigilant.”
“We’re working very closely with CBSA and the entire public safety apparatus to make sure Canada is not a safe haven in any way to support the regime in Iran,” said Mendicino.
A criminal trial date has not yet been scheduled in California for the case involving Abtahi, Salim and Khalil Henareh.
The latest update in court in March 2022 said all 10 of the defendants remain fugitives abroad.
OTTAWA – Conservative MP Garnett Genuis told a federal inquiry today that parliamentarians who were targeted by Chinese hackers could have taken immediate protective steps if they had been informed sooner.
It emerged earlier this year that in 2021 some MPs and senators faced cyberattacks from the hackers because of their involvement with the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, which pushes for accountability from Beijing.
In 2022, U.S. authorities apparently informed the Canadian government of the attacks, and it in turn advised parliamentary IT officials — but not individual MPs.
Genuis, a Canadian co-chair of the inter-parliamentary alliance, told a federal commission of inquiry on foreign interference today that it remains mysterious to him why he wasn’t informed about the attacks sooner.
Liberal MP John McKay, also a Canadian co-chair of the alliance, said there should be a clear protocol for advising parliamentarians of cyberthreats.
Several weeks of public inquiry hearings will focus on the capacity of federal agencies to detect, deter and counter foreign meddling.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
TORONTO – After being drafted in the third round (61st overall) of the 2023 MLS SuperDraft, forward Charlie Sharp decided to put his dream of playing professional football on hold.
He spent a couple of weeks training with Toronto FC that summer and then returned for a fifth year at Western Michigan University.
“It was a really tough decision for me,” Sharp recalled. “Because I knew that going back to school, nothing was guaranteed. I could get injured or not perform well, but it seemed to really work out for me.”
Sharp scored 19 goals and added eight assists as a senior, leading the Broncos to a 17-2-3 record and a third-round appearance in the NCAA tournament where they eventually lost to national runner-up Notre Dame on penalty kicks. Sharp, who scored or assisted in nine of his last 10 matches, ranked first in the NCAA with 0.95 goals per game and 2.30 points per game and was tied for second with seven game-winning goals.
The 23-year-old Sharp, whose rights were retained by Toronto, spent time with the TFC first team in this year’s pre-season and signed with Toronto FC II in February. On Tuesday, he joined TFC 2 teammate Nate Edwards, a wingback from Brampton, Ont., in signing a first-team contract.
“We are happy to officially elevate Charlie at this time,” Toronto GM Jason Hernandez said in a statement Tuesday. “His strong mentality and mature playing style will be a welcomed addition to our young player group in the first team.”
Both players signed contracts that run through 2025 with club options for 2026 and 2027.
The deals were completed in advance of Friday’s MLS roster freeze but took their time working their way through the league office.
“A bit of unorthodox path that I chose,” said Sharp. “But I think you’re seeing it more now with players that get drafted.”
“I’m super-happy,” he added. “I think I made the right decision.”
As a senior, Sharp was one of three finalists for the 2023 MAC Hermann Trophy, which honours the top NCAA soccer player. The award eventually went to Clemson senior forward Ousmane Sylla.
The six-foot-five 185-pounder from Brighton, Mich., finished his collegiate career with 42 goals 22 assists, and 106 points in 89 games. He ranks first in career goals and games and tied for fourth in assists for Western Michigan.
In returning to Kalamazoo for a fifth year, Sharp also succeeded off the pitch by completing his degree in computer information systems.
Despite some niggling injuries, Sharp has five goals and two assists in 16 appearances with TFC 2 this season. He made his first-team debut off the bench May 15 against Nashville.
“I had a lot of friends and family watching,” he said.
“It’s been a journey,” Sharp added. “I’ve been thankful for every step of the way.,”
The 21-year-old Edwards has one goal and two assists in 23 games with TFC’s MLS Next Pro team.
“He has been a top performer with TFC II this season and we look forward to his continued growth within our environment,” said Hernandez
Edwards, who also joined TFC 2 in February, made his first-team debut May 21 in Canadian Championship play against Ligue1 Quebec champion CS Saint-Laurent.
The five-foot-eight 167-pounder split his college career between Syracuse University and Purdue University Fort Wayne. As a senior in 2023, he had one goal and four assists for Syracuse and was named to the 2023 All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Academic Team and College Sport Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team.
At Purdue University Fort Wayne, he had two goals and an assist in 40 appearances across three seasons (2020-2022) with the Mastodons.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
CALGARY – A Calgary man who pleaded guilty to sharing Islamic State recruitment videos and propaganda on TikTok will spend the next six years behind bars.
Zakarya Rida Hussein was sentenced during a court appearance on Friday after he pleaded guilty to one of four terrorism-related charges.
Hussein admitted that he owned social media accounts that posted ISIS recruitment videos and propaganda.
He also admitted to sharing a bomb-making video online.
The man was arrested in June 2023 after a joint investigation led by the RCMP and the Calgary Police Service.
Hussein will need to submit DNA results and will be under lifetime ban from owning firearms after he’s released.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
