Maple Ridge city councillor facing charges in multiple B.C. jurisdictions

Maple Ridge Coun. Ahmed Yousef is seen in this photo from the city's website (mapleridge.ca)

A city councillor from Maple Ridge, B.C., is facing several criminal charges, including assault and pointing a firearm.

Coun. Ahmed Antar Yousef Mohamed announced on social media Monday that he is taking leave from his role at city hall to focus on “some personal matters.”

“I hope to take my seat back at council at the earlier possible opportunity,” he wrote. “Thank you for your understanding.”

The B.C. Prosecution Service has approved four counts of assault, one count of pointing a firearm, and one count of unsafe storage of a firearm against the councillor, who goes by the name Ahmed Yousef.

In a statement issued Friday, several days after the charges were laid, the BCPS explained that they were the result of an investigation that originated with the Upper Fraser Valley Regional Detachment of the RCMP.

On Jan. 29, the prosecution service appointed Claire Hatcher as a special prosecutor in the investigation.

“The appointment of a Special Prosecutor is intended to avoid any potential for real or perceived improper influence in the administration of justice considering the nature of the allegations and the identity of the accused as an elected public official,” the prosecution service said in its statement.

The BCPS described Hatcher as “a senior Vancouver lawyer in private practice.”

“Her mandate includes providing legal advice to investigators as may be necessary, conducting any related charge assessment, and assuming conduct of the prosecution if any charge was approved,” the statement continues.

The assault and firearms charges were laid May 9 in Port Coquitlam provincial court. On the same day, Yousef was also charged in Surrey provincial court with two counts of disobeying a court order.

An email to the councillor’s city hall email address Monday returned an out-of-office reply, and his lawyer declined to comment when contacted by CTV News.

The City of Maple Ridge said it could not provide any details on Yousef’s leave, but in a brief statement said that council “continues to maintain quorum and can conduct city business as usual.”

Yousef was first elected to council in 2018, then re-elected in 2022. He’s served a number of roles while in office, including council liaison for the city’s committee on accessibility and inclusiveness.

His biography on the Maple Ridge website identifies him as a “husband, father, business professional,” as well as a longtime volunteer for Scouts Canada, Operation Red Nose and Hope for Freedom.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Andrew Weichel