One of Canada’s first convicted terrorists shows ‘no signs of de-radicalization’

The Parole Board of Canada ruled Said Namouh was not ready for parole.

A Moroccan terrorist convicted in Quebec almost two decades ago has been denied parole in a decision that said he had no remorse and continued to legitimize violence.

Said Namouh, 52, remains a “significant, indeed concerning, risk,” despite having been behind bars since 2007, according to the Parole Board of Canada.

In its ruling, the Board noted that “no signs of de-radicalization have been observed” in Namouh, who was sentenced to life in 2010 and faces deportation upon his release.

While Namouh insisted he no longer believed in “jihad aimed at fighting injustice and oppression,” the Parole Board said it could not accept him at his word.

The Board denied Namouh’s latest request for parole. The decision was handed down on Dec. 9. A redacted version was released to Global News on Friday.

It is the latest parole decision to deal with Canada’s growing population of terrorism offenders, some of whom have not changed their extremist views while incarcerated.

In one case, an ISIS supporter who conducted an attack in Toronto was released from prison only to be arrested again because she had vowed to strike once more when she was freed.

A Toronto-area man who had completed his sentence for terrorism was similarly arrested again when Al Qaeda bomb and poison manuals were found on his phone.