Parole Board Imposes Strict Conditions on Release of Canadian Terrorism Convict to ‘Protect Society’

Parole Board of Canada sign in Bath, Ont., on Oct. 17, 2018. Lars Hagberg/The Canadian Press

The Parole Board of Canada has imposed strict conditions on the statutory release of Mohamed Hersi, the first person in Canada to be tried for attempting to leave the country to join a terrorist activity abroad, citing the need to “protect society.”

Hersi, 37, is being released after serving more than nine years and seven months in prison, after he was convicted of participating in the activities of a terrorist group and counselling another person to do the same. He was arrested at a Toronto airport in 2011 as he was about to travel to Egypt and later join the Al-Shabaab, a jihadist militant group in Somalia.

A Parole Board decision, dated April 19, imposed a number of special conditions on Hersi’s statutory release, including that he must stay in a designated residency, adhere to internet restrictions, and have limited use of mobile communication. He’s also not allowed to contact certain individuals and is required to participate in a treatment plan.

“The Board is of the opinion that your release plan as currently formulated is insufficient to manage the risk you pose to the community, and that you would not be risk-manageable in the context of any other kind of release at this time,” the decision said.

Hersi was previously given statutory release with a residency condition in December 2020, but it was revoked within a year after he made repeated threats toward the staff member of a community residential facility where he stayed. He was also found to possess two cellphones, in breach of his telecommunication restrictions at that time. His initial statutory release was revoked in November 2021.

During his time in prison, Hersi amassed 20 incidents that included two counts of assaulting an inmate, contraband, and security threats, among others, according to the Parole Board. After his return to custody from his initial statutory release, he continued to be involved in two security incidents, including being “inappropriate” with his female parole officer.

Background and Behaviour

According to the Parole Board decision, Hersi fled with his family from Somalia to avoid a civil war. He and his mother travelled to the United States while his father and two sisters escaped to Saudi Arabia. Hersi and his mother later moved to Canada, where he obtained refugee status and eventually citizenship in 2000.

After graduating university, he took up a job at a security company. The decision, citing file information, said Hersi grew bored at his job and eventually quit work to carry out his plans to join the terrorist organization. He first caught police attention after a USB key was found in his work uniform containing anarchist material. Hersi also reportedly tried to convince an undercover police officer, who approached and met with him several times between October 2010 and March 2011, to join a terrorist group.

The Parole Board said Hersi’s “wide range of problematic behaviours,” aspiration to not just join the terrorist organization, but to achieve a leadership position, along with the commitment he had shown in carrying out his plan to ”fight in a holy war and return to Canada to serve it,” together demonstrated the heightened risk he poses, and contributed to the decision to impose strict conditions on his statutory release.

“In essence, you have entertained terrorist ideology, denied culpability, shown poor institutional behaviour, have been non-compliant on conditional release, and have been aggressive, threatening and inappropriate towards supervisors. Altogether, then, your behaviours reflect a violent propensity and present a serious level of risk to re-offend, and that ought to be carefully managed to protect society,” the decision said in conclusion.

Following his release, Hersi is required to live with his mother. The decision said he has expressed interest in returning to school.