Canada, State Sponsor of Terrorism? Role of Canadian Embassy in Jordan in ISIS Recruitment?

This article was first published in March 2015.

There is a consistent pattern. NATO member states including Turkey, France, Britain as well as NATO partner countries (Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar) have been involved in the recruitment and training of ISIS terrorists. 

Canada is no exception. The latest bombshell revelation pertains to the alleged uncover role of Canada and its intelligence services in the recruitment of ISIS mercenaries.

According to a detailed report in the Ottawa Citizen entitled “Reports link Islamic State recruiter to Canadian Embassy in Jordan” (March 13, 2015)   Canada’s embassy in Amman, was allegedly involved in the recruitment of ISIS “jihadists”. The report pertains specifically to the recruitment and smuggling of three adolescent (underaged) British girls into ISIS controlled territory in Syria:

“We have been engaged with someone [recruiter working for Canada’s intelligence agency CSIS] who is not blocking people from travelling to Syria to join up with ISIL, they’re actually facilitating it,” he said. [Dewar, spokesperson for the NDP]

“So the government has to understand that they’re accountable for the actions of our spy agency and whomever they work with.”

Should the allegations prove true, Dewar [spokesperson for the NDP] said there should be an immediate investigation into what happened, including how CSIS [Canada’s intelligence agency] would have recruited such a person to work for it.

Videos of suspected spy from Canadian intelligence assisting British girls join ISIS

First Video 0′.28”

Skip to second video: provides more detail: 5′.19”

It is worth noting that Canada’s  Ambassador to Jordan Bruno Saccomani is not a “run of the mill” career Canada Foreign Services official. Ambassador Saccomani was previously a Superintendent at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) before becoming Harper’s “security boss” in charge of the Prime Minister’s “security detail”. During his tenure with the RCMP and the Prime Minister’s office, Saccomani worked in close liaison with Canadian intelligence (CSIS).

[Dewar said] … the reports say Rashid was recruited out of Canada’s embassy in Jordan, which is headed by [Ambassador] Saccomani. He said it is ironic given the government defended Saccomani’s lack of diplomatic experience by touting his background in security issues when the prime minister appointed him to the post last year.

….

In particular, Canada has remained largely silent while other Western countries are criticizing Turkey for not doing more to stop the flow of foreign fighters into Syria, many of whom have joined Islamic State (ISIL).

[Facilitated by Rachid, who was recruited out of Canada’s embassy in Amman] Shamima Begum, 15, Amira Abase, 15, and Kadiza Sultana, 16, are the three British girls believed to have joined the Islamic State, after they left their London homes in early February, travelled to Turkey and crossed the border into Syria.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said the suspect arrested worked for the intelligence agency of a country that is part of the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State.

He didn’t identify the country, but multiple media outlets, citing security officials, first reported Thursday the individual was working for Canadian security intelligence.

CSIS may well be operating in the region.

If Rashid worked in some capacity for CSIS, and based on reports his computer contained images of passport and travel documents of several apparent ISIL recruits, it’s conceivable he was actually gathering intelligence for CSIS about those recruits and the methods, logistics and contacts for spiriting them into Syria, said Ray Boisvert, former assistant director of intelligence for CSIS. (Ottawa Citizen, op. cit., March 13, 2015, emphasis added)

The role of Canadian intelligence (CSIS) allegedly operating out of the Canadian embassy in Amman in the smuggling of the three British girls into Syria to join the Islamic State is but the tip of the iceberg in the ongoing process of US-NATO sponsored recruitment and financing of terrorists.

Confirmed by Israeli intelligence sources, NATO and the Turkish High command, had initiated  –prior to the outbreak of the Syria insurgency in March 2011– the recruitment of thousands of freedom fighters, reminiscent of  the enlistment of  the Mujahideen to wage the CIA’s jihad (holy war) in the heyday of the Soviet-Afghan war:

Also discussed in Brussels [NATO headquarters] and Ankara, our sources report, is a campaign to enlist thousands of Muslim volunteers in Middle East countries and the Muslim world to fight alongside the Syrian rebels. The Turkish army would house these volunteers, train them and secure their passage into Syria. ….

NATO headquarters in Brussels and the Turkish high command are meanwhile drawing up plans for their first military step in Syria, which is to arm the rebels with weapons for combating the tanks and helicopters spearheading the Assad regime’s crackdown on dissent. (DEBKAfile, NATO to give rebels anti-tank weapons, August 14, 2011, emphasis added)

The Smuggling of Children

Under British law, H.M.’s government has the obligation to protect and come to the rescue of British citizens travelling overseas, whose lives and security are  threatened. In this case, we are dealing with a criminal act namely the smuggling of British teenage minors (allegedly facilitated with the support of CSIS) into the hands of a terrorist organization (ISIS), which just so happens to be supported covertly by US-NATO (including H.M.’s government).

The British authorities have largely dismissed the matter. Prime Minister David Cameron says that it is for families to act, rather than the government.

In all likelihood, MI6 was in contact with CSIS, its Canadian counterpart.


Comment on Global Research Articles on our Facebook page

Become a Member of Global Research


About the author:

Michel Chossudovsky is an award-winning author, Professor of Economics (emeritus) at the University of Ottawa, Founder and Director of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG), Montreal, Editor of Global Research. He has taught as visiting professor in Western Europe, Southeast Asia, the Pacific and Latin America. He has served as economic adviser to governments of developing countries and has acted as a consultant for several international organizations. He is the author of 13 books. He is a contributor to the Encyclopaedia Britannica. His writings have been published in more than twenty languages. In 2014, he was awarded the Gold Medal for Merit of the Republic of Serbia for his writings on NATO's war of aggression against Yugoslavia. He can be reached at [email protected]

Disclaimer: The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). The Centre for Research on Globalization will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article. The Centre of Research on Globalization grants permission to cross-post Global Research articles on community internet sites as long the source and copyright are acknowledged together with a hyperlink to the original Global Research article. For publication of Global Research articles in print or other forms including commercial internet sites, contact: [email protected]

www.globalresearch.ca contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of "fair use" in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than "fair use" you must request permission from the copyright owner.

For media inquiries: [email protected]