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Border officials argue B.C. man’s Facebook posts threat to Canada’s security

A B.C. Supreme Court judge acquitted Othman Hamdan of terrorism charges last September
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Immigration and Refugee Board offices in Vancouver (Google Maps)

The Canada Border Services Agency says a British Columbia man’s Facebook posts in support of the Islamic State group include enough violent threats to suggest he is a security risk in Canada.

The agency has provided its final submissions at an admissibility hearing in Vancouver to determine whether Othman Hamdan should be deported.

The Jordanian national who came to Canada in 2002 after living in the United States has argued freedom of expression is guaranteed in the charter and that there isn’t enough evidence to suggest he would be a danger to the public.

However, the agency’s Randal Hyland told the hearing that Othman Hamdan’s posts, in English and Arabic, focused on inciting others to engage in violent acts and that was confirmed in testimony from an RCMP expert.

Hyland says Hamdan’s statements that he would harm Facebook employees after his accounts were deleted and his threats to bomb RCMP headquarters in Surrey, B.C., over anger at the force’s translators are further evidence of his violent mindset.

A B.C. Supreme Court judge acquitted Hamdan of terrorism charges last September, but Canada Border Services says it operates by a different standard.

The Canadian Press


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