Canadian was ‘prolific propagandist’ in ISIS, U.S. prosecutors say
Global News
U.S. prosecutors are seeking a life sentence for Toronto IT worker Mohammed Khalifa on Friday.
U.S. prosecutors are seeking a life sentence for a Canadian they call one of the “most prolific propagandists” in the so-called Islamic State.
In materials filed in court ahead of his sentencing hearing, prosecutors said Mohammed Khalifa was a “formidable figure within ISIS.”
Not only did he produce gory videos used by ISIS to incite attacks and recruit, but he also executed two Syrian soldiers, the U.S. Attorney’s Office wrote.
“The defendant’s commitment to violence and the lethal terrorist organization he proudly served for over five years continued unabated until his capture,” according to the prosecutors.
A life sentence would be “a reasonable and appropriate punishment,” the prosecution argued in its sentencing memorandum.
Khalifa was scheduled to be sentenced this Friday.
A 39-year-old IT worker who grew up in Toronto, Khalifa left Canada in 2013 for Syria, where he underwent training and used his English-language skills to narrate ISIS execution videos.
In the 2014 video, Flames of War, he was shown making Syrians dig their own graves and shooting a kneeling man in the back of the head. He did the same in a 2017 video, Flames of War II.