A 26-year-old man in Toronto has been charged with terrorism relating to the Islamic State after he and two accomplices were arrested for offenses motivated by hate, targeting women and members of the Jewish community, according to a press release by the Toronto Police Service.
Waleed Khan was accused of providing funding and property (including social media accounts) to the Islamic State, aiding terrorist activities, and of conspiracy to commit murder on behalf of a terrorist group, according to a Royal Canada Mounted Police statement.
Two other men, Osman Azizov, 18, and Fahad Sadaat, 19, are also being charged by police, alongside Khan.
The charges were filed against them following investigations into two failed kidnapping attempts earlier this year, in May and June.
The investigation into Khan on the alleged terrorism charges was taken up by the Royal Canada Mounted Police after a house search, during which police “located evidence confirming his involvement in national security related threats,” as well as seized firearms and ammunition, according to Myron Demkiw, chief of Toronto police.
“The investigation identified alleged offenses that were motivated in part by hate-motivated extremism with potential links to terrorism,” Demkiw said in a video statement.
“The evidence gathered expanded the scope of the investigation to include additional offences motivated by hate – particularly targeting women and members of the Jewish community,” according to the Toronto Police Service.
According to the Toronto Police Service, the three men are each facing 14 charges, including attempted kidnapping with a firearm, sexual assault with a weapon and hate crimes, and Khan faces additional charges including firearm offenses and breach of probation.