Calgary man found guilty on three counts of participating in terrorist activities

A Calgary man is guilty of taking part in terrorist activities. Experts say this case is the tip of the iceberg ​ for radicalization in Canada.

Five years after he was first arrested, a Calgary man accused of travelling to Syria to fight with the Islamic State has been found guilty on three counts of participating in terrorist activities.

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Jamal Borhot was charged in 2020, accused of travelling to Syria in 2013 and 2014 to commit terrorist acts with ISIS.

He pleaded not guilty.

The case has faced lengthy delays, prompting an application by Borhot’s lawyers last year to have the case thrown out due to what they argued were unreasonable delays in the court process.

Justice Corina Dario dismissed the application, determining that Borhot’s rights had not been violated under the Charter challenge, which allowed the trial to begin in April 2024.

She delivered her verdict Monday afternoon.

“The accused knew he was part of a terrorist organization and knew their goals,” she said.

“The accused knew of or was willfully blind that this was a terrorist group. He was prepared to kill for his beliefs.

“He used firearms with the intention to kill anyone who was not Muslim. These are terrorist activities.”

Borhot has yet to be sentenced.

Borhot’s co-accused and cousin, Hussein Borhot, was sentenced to 12 years in prison in May 2022 in a separate trial.

With files from Bill Graveland and The Canadian Press