Upgrade to charge against man with al-Qaida ties as punishment for alleged terrorism
Prosecutor Samuel Monfette-Tessier says he's invoking a section of the Criminal Code that would allow the court to sentence the accused to life in prison.
Mohamed Abdullah Warsame, 51, was charged last month after allegedly telling an employee at a Montreal homeless shelter that he wanted to build bombs and detonate them on public transit.
Monfette-Tessier says he thinks the case marks the first time in Quebec that prosecutors have used the Criminal Code section to upgrade an existing charge to punish someone for alleged terrorist activity.
Warsame was psychologically evaluated after his arrest, and the results have been sealed at the defence's request.
The RCMP have said Warsame pleaded guilty in Minnesota in 2009 to providing material support to the terrorist organization al-Qaida.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2025.
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