Lebanese-Canadian Lebanese Canadians are Canadians of Lebanese origin. According to the 2016 census there were 219,555 Canadians who claimed Lebanese ancestry, showing an increase compared to the 2006 census, making them by far the largest group of people wi ...

, Mohamed Hussein al-Husseini ) was a member of

Hezbollah Hezbollah ( ; , , ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament. I ...

who lived in

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Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

and informed authorities about a vast "support network" for the organisation that existed throughout

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, before being returned to

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

in 1994.

Life

Born in

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

, Al-Husseini came to Canada aboard Flight 414 at

Mirabel Airport Mirabel, Mirabelle or Mirabell may refer to: * Mirabel (name), a female given name Places Austria *Mirabell Palace, in Salzburg Canada *Mirabel, Quebec Mirabel () is a suburb of Montreal, located on the North Shore (Montreal), North Shore in ...

on August 6, 1991,Kasindorf, Martin.

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

, "Crime finds home on US-Canada border", July 20, 1998Bell, Stewart. "Cold Terror: How Canada Nurtures and Exports Terrorism around the World", 2005 He claimed to have been arrested the previous year after his father had protested the

Syrian occupation of Lebanon The Syrian occupation of Lebanon lasted from 31 May 1976, beginning with the Syrian intervention in the Lebanese Civil War, until 30 April 2005. This period saw significant Syrian military and political influence over Lebanon, impacting its g ...

. He stated that he was tortured with electrical wires, and was released only after his uncle bribed a Syrian officer with a bottle of wine. After his release, he ostensibly hid in East Beirut before boarding a ship to

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

, and subsequently traveling to Italy before taking a train to

Frankfurt, Germany Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the foreland of the Taunus on its namesake Main, it forms a contin ...

and buying a flight ticket for Canada. On July 9, 1992 he was interrogated by the

Canadian Security Intelligence Service The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS, ; , ''SCRS'') is a Intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service and security agency of the Government of Canada, federal government of Canada. It is responsible for gathering, processing, a ...

at his shared apartment in

, where he was living while collecting

social assistance Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance ...

and studying French, and confronted with the fact a man had arrived at the airport with a Lebanese passport in al-Husseini's name. He stuck to his original story, and when asked about his opinions of Syria, noted that one day they would be punished for their occupation. In August 1993, al-Husseini took a trip to Lebanon, despite having convinced Canadian authorities he would be tortured if he returned. After he returned, he made a September 17 call to CSIS asking why his application to become a

landed immigrant The permanent resident card () also known colloquially as the PR card or the Maple Leaf card, is an identification document and a travel document that shows that a person has permanent residency in Canada. It is one of the methods by which Can ...

was taking so long, and was told there were concerns he was connected to

. He denied the accusation, and another meeting was set up. He was confronted with the 1988 hijacking of

Kuwait Airways Flight 422 Kuwait Airways Flight 422 was a Boeing 747 jumbo jet hijacked en route from Bangkok, Thailand, to Kuwait City, Kuwait on 5 April 1988, leading to a hostage crisis that lasted 16 days and encompassed three continents. The hijacking was carried ou ...

, and continued denying he played any role. CSIS interrogated him on two other occasions, during which he spoke of how widespread Hezbollah had become in Canadian cities and offered the names of Hezbollah agents living in Ottawa and Montreal as evidence.Depalma, Anthony.

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

Saudi Case Casting a Light on How Militants Infiltrate and Exploit Canada
May 4, 1997 Although he was not formally accused or charged, he was frequently questioned about his relationship with the 1998 hijacking of a Kuwaiti jet. He eventually ended up recanting many of his statements, ostensibly after he realised that Canadian officials were unlikely to let him stay in the country in exchange.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Husseini, Mohammed Possibly living people Year of birth missing Hezbollah members