- Mahmoud Mohammad Issa Mohammad
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Born in 1943,[1] Mahmoud Mohammad Issa Mohammad (محمود محمد عيسى محمد) is a former member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, who hijacked an El Al aircraft in Greece in 1968. Under orders of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the then-25-year-old guerrilla fighter and another man hurled grenades and sprayed the plane with machine-gun fire, killing an Israeli passenger.
Mohammad and his accomplice were arrested at the airport and in 1970 were convicted Mohammad of manslaughter and other charges, sentencing him to 17 years in jail. However, he was freed a few months later after another Palestinian terrorist group hijacked a plane and threatened to kill the passengers unless the government released Mohammad. He later lived in several Arab countries.[1]
In 1987, he applied for residency in Canada while failing to disclose his membership in the PFLP and his criminal history.[2]
When he refused to work for CISC he was deemed inadmissible as a resident of Canada and the government began proceedings to have him deported. However, before he could be deported, he filed a refuge claim and has since been about to avoid deportation for more than 22 years due to appeals and legal maneuvering. He currently lives in Brantford, Ontario with his wife Fadia Khalil. He has three children and two grandchildren.[1][3]
In 2001, the refugee board's appeal division concluded that Mohammad was a "terrorist" under Canada's Immigration and Refugee Act and upheld his deportation. However, Mohammad was granted another pre-removal risk assessment in 2006, which meant a new hearing and a re-evaluation of an earlier risk assessment that found it would not mean his certain death to send him to a Lebanese refugee camp.[1]
Mohammad denies he was a terrorist, stating: "I was a freedom fighter – not a terrorist. I was fighting Israel, the enemy of (his people)... My record in Canada is clean, clear and good." He has also stated, regarding efforts to deport him that "I'll fight to the last moment. I am not going to give up."[1] When asked by a FOX News reporter about whether he regretted his crime, he responded: "[It's] not your business. [It's] not your business.. This is not your business."[2]
As of March 2011, it has been estimated that Mohammad's 23-year legal case has cost Canadian taxpayers over $3 million.[4]
References
- ^ a b c d e Brown, Barbara. Toronto Star, Ordered deported in '88, terrorist still lives in Brantford, July 16, 2008
- ^ a b Brown, Steve. Fox News, Canadian immigration laws allow convicted terrorist and killer to make home in Ontario, August 19, 2008
- ^ Khalil v. Canada ( Secretary of State ) ( C.A. ), [1999] 4 F.C. 661, June 30, 1999, Docket: A-456-96]. Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada.
- ^ Tamil Tiger soldier ordered deported by Brian Lilley, Toronto Sun, March 9, 2011.
External links
Categories:- 1943 births
- Living people
- Hijackers
- Applicants for refugee status in Canada
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