Canadian with ties to Osama bin Laden arrested in Montreal; accused of wanting to kill ‘large number of people’

Mohammed Abdullah Warsame's booking photo taken by U.S. Marshals in 2003. (Source: Former FBI Special Agent Harry Samit/LinkedIn)

A man convicted of terrorism offences in the United States, and who had ties to al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, allegedly threatened to kill “a large number of people” in Montreal, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

Court records show that Mohammed Abdullah Warsame, 51, is facing one count of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm under the Criminal Code following an incident on May 26.

His arrest in Montreal was first reported by La Presse.

Warsame, a Somali-born Canadian citizen who is now homeless, was arrested by the RCMP Wednesday after he allegedly told an Old Brewery Mission employee that he wanted to commit a large-scale attack and that he allegedly was “able to make explosives.”

Montreal police (SPVM) responded to the Mission, the city’s largest emergency shelter offering support to the homeless population.

The force then informed the RCMP about the incident, and the case was transferred to the federal police force’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET). Police say their investigation into the matter is still ongoing.

Warsame appeared at the Montreal courthouse Thursday morning to face the charge and is scheduled to return to court on Friday. An RCMP spokesperson told CTV News that he was sent to hospital for psychological support between the date of the alleged offence and his arrest.

In a written statement, the Old Brewery Mission commended its staff for their quick vigilance. “Our employees are trained to identify dangerous behavior or speech, and we are in constant collaboration with the police when necessary,” the organization said.

Guilty plea to terrorism offence

On May 20, 2009, he pleaded guilty in federal court in Minneapolis to one count of conspiring to provide material support and resources to the terrorist group al-Qaeda.

Other terrorism charges were dismissed in court following his guilty plea.

According to the plea agreement, Warsame provided forms of support, including training and currency, to al-Qaeda between 2000 and 2003.

In early 2000, he attended an al-Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan outside of Kabul.

“In the summer of 2000, he then travelled to the al Faruq training camp, where he received further training and met Osama bin Laden. Warsame subsequently worked at an al-Qaeda guesthouse and clinic,” according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.

U.S. officials said Warsame described Bin Laden as “very inspirational” and was trained to use weapons, such as AK-47 rifles.

According to an affidavit sworn by a special agent with the FBI in 2004, he said he saw bin Laden on several occasions, attended his lectures, and sat next to him at a meal.

The justice department said he travelled from Pakistan to Canada in March 2001 and established email contacts “with several al-Qaeda associates that he had met in Afghanistan.”

After moving to Minneapolis, he continued to communicate with several al-Qaeda contacts between 2002 and 2003.

In one instance, he sent $2,000 CAD to one of his former training camp commanders.

Deportation to Canada

Following his 2009 conviction, he was sentenced to almost eight years in prison, but served about a year behind bars since he was credited for time served awaiting trial. The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) noted in a 2009 report that Warsame was kept in solitary confinement for five years.

After serving his sentence, he was released from a prison in Terre Haute, Ind. before the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported him to Canada on Oct. 8, 2010.

U.S court filings show that before his conviction, he was a Toronto resident after coming to Canada as a refugee, fleeing civil war in Somalia at age 17 in 1989. He became a Canadian citizen years later. In 1995, he went to the U.S. to marry his wife.