Shareef Abdelhaleem
Muhammad Shareef Abdelhaleem | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1976 Egypt |
| Occupation(s) | Database engineer, computer programmer |
| Known for | 2006 Toronto terrorism arrests, convicted for conspiring to carry out bomb attacks in southern Ontario |
Muhammad Shareef Abdelhaleem (born 1976) is a database engineer who was among the 17 individuals apprehended during the 2006 Toronto terrorism arrests. Authorities accused him of conspiring to carry out synchronized bomb attacks in southern Ontario.
Life
Abdelhaleem, the eldest of four children, was born in Egypt and spent parts of his early life in Egypt, Jordan, and England before relocating to Canada with his family in 1989 at the age of 10.
His father, Tariq Abdelhaleem, an engineer employed by Atomic Energy of Canada, is also recognized for his role as an Imam and for issuing a fatwa opposing any dilution of Islamic doctrine. Tariq publicly criticized the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan prior to his son's arrest and posted bail for security certificate detainee Mohammad Mahjoub. During the trial, it emerged that Tariq had issued a fatwa deeming the group's attacks "acceptable."
At the time of his arrest, Abdelhaleem was a 30-year-old computer programmer who drove a metallic blue BMW convertible. Having undergone open-heart surgery just two months earlier, he was considered the wealthiest member of the group and had sought information about offshore bank accounts.
For three years following his arrest, his father visited him weekly but deceived his youngest daughter by telling her that Abdelhaleem was confined to a "hospital" behind plexiglass due to contagiousness.
Actions leading to arrest
Abdelhaleem was introduced to purchasing fertilizer by Zakaria Amara. Amara provided funds which Abdelhaleem then passed on—C$2,000—to Shaher Elsohemy, a former associate who had become an undercover police informant. Elsohemy testified that this money served as a deposit for acquiring ammonium nitrate. When police searched Abdelhaleem’s residence, his main concern was for seven stray cats residing there.
Trial
Abdelhaleem contended that he acted solely as an intermediary between the ringleader Zakaria Amara and informant Shaher Elsohemy. His defense attorney argued that the charges were motivated by an old friend's vendetta facilitated through police channels. Elsohemy testified that although Abdelhaleem initially resisted the plot, he later supported it for financial reasons and proposed staggering the timing of attacks—a suggestion Amara rejected in favor of causing "maximum casualties." On January 21, 2010, Abdelhaleem was convicted for conspiring to attack financial, intelligence, and military targets; however, sentencing was postponed due to a granted stay of proceedings intended to investigate claims of possible entrapment. This entrapment defense was ultimately rejected because of insufficient evidence combined with Abdelhaleem’s disruptive behavior in court. On March 4, 2011, Ontario Superior Court Justice Fletcher Dawson imposed a life sentence.
After serving 14 years in prison and participating in de-radicalization programs, Abdelhaleem was released on day parole to a Montreal halfway house in January 2021. By October 2022, he had enrolled as a full-time student at an undisclosed institution with anticipated graduation scheduled for February 2024. In June 2023, he obtained full parole; caseworkers evaluated him as having a low risk of reoffending and no longer deemed him an "unacceptable risk to society."
Homegrown
Between 2009 and 2010, playwright Catherine Frid authored Homegrown, which portrayed her friendship with Shareef. The production debuted at Theatre Passe Muraille on August 5, 2010, and sparked debate due to its empathetic depiction of Shareef.
Theatre critic Richard Ouzounian observed that while the play neither endorses nor glamorizes terrorism, it raises important questions regarding governmental reliance on undercover "moles" who may entrap suspected terrorists—a practice often involving expenditures reaching into millions.
External links
- Cageprisoners: Profile of Shareef Abdelhaleem
- CaptiveInCanada.com, a website managed by Abdelhaleem's father