A judge has approved the extradition of a man wanted by the United States for his alleged role in two suicide attacks in Iraq, one of which killed five US soldiers, state broadcaster CBC reported.
Sayfildin Tahir Sharif, an Iraqi-born ethnic Kurd who immigrated to Canada in 1993 and has since become a citizen, was arrested in his apartment in the western city of Edmonton in January 2011. He has been in prison ever since.
Justice Adam Germain on Friday said evidence gathered by the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police was “highly suggestive of a conspiracy to commit murder” and that there was no doubt it showed he was a conspirator and involved in the two 2009 attacks, according to CBC.
The words and actions of the accused “extend far beyond religious enthusiasm or just talk,” CBC quoted Germain as saying.
Sharif’s lawyer meanwhile argued that the evidence — gathered through wiretaps and Sharif’s computer — did not show that Sharif played an active role in the attacks.
The matter now goes to Justice Minister Rob Nicholson.
Judge OKs extradition of terror suspect to US
