By Kosalan Kathiramalanathan
A former Ryerson University student was detained in northern Syria for fighting alongside the Islamic State militants after attempting to flee the group, according to reports.
Muhammad Ali, who also goes by the name Abu Turaab Al-Kanadi, left Toronto to join ISIS in 2014. In Syria he was a sniper and was active on social media, trying to influence others to join the group, as reported by Global News.
Ali was detained about four months ago when he attempted to flee to Turkey. Now he’s being held by Syrian Democratic Forces, a U.S.-backed militia. His Canadian wife Rida Jabbar and their two Syrian-born children are also being detained in a separate camp.
In an interview with Global News, Ali said he wants to come back to Canada and doesn’t care if he is arrested by authorities, adding he has abandoned his devotion to the terrorist group.
It’s up to Canadian authorities to decide whether or not to place charges if Ali ends up returning to Canada. Kurdish officials said they want Canada to accept Ali back into the country soon, along with about a dozen other Canadian ISIS members.
Ryerson president Mohamed Lachemi declined to comment on the former Ryerson student’s detainment, citing student confidentiality reasons.
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