One of the main conspirators behind a foiled 2006 Islamist terrorist attack in Toronto was granted a release from prison on full parole.
The Parole Board of Canada judged that 47-year-old Shareef Abdelhaleem doesn’t pose a risk to society any longer and has allegedly shown enough progress in a deradicalization program to end his correctional supervision.
Abdelhaleem was a software engineer who joined a group of Jihadist extremists known as the Toronto 18, who planned to detonate vans filled with explosives at the Toronto Stock Exchange, a military base near Toronto and the CSIS headquarters.
They also wanted to kill the prime minister. The plot was uncovered by an undercover RCMP operation and Abdelhaleem was arrested in 2006.
He was convicted in 2011 and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 10 years.
Abdelhaleem spent 14 years in a Quebec prison, where he received de-radicalization counselling and claimed to have renounced his extremist views.
He was granted day parole in 2021 and moved to a Montreal halfway house. He also enrolled in full-time studies at an undisclosed educational institution.
In March, the parole board further gave Abdulhaleem day parole for another three months and called a meeting to determine whether he was eligible for full parole. In its decision on Wednesday, the board claimed that the terror plotter has met the expectations of his release plan and has “developed a relationship of trust” with his caseworkers.
Abdelhaleem faces two conditions for full parole: he’s prevented from holding any position of leadership in religious organizations, and is prohibited from associating with those involved in criminal or radical movements.
“Given your overall progress, your CMT (case management team) is of the opinion that your release plan is realistic, structured, gradual and can be endorsed because it currently contains the necessary steps to achieve your objectives,” the board said.
“Therefore, it believes that you are ready and have reached the goals to be granted full parole.”
