John Maguire, 23, believed to be fighting with militants in Syria
A former University of Ottawa student named John Maguire is under RCMP investigation for a suspected connection with the Islamic State of Iraq (ISIS), the National Post reports.
The Post’s article states that 23-year-old Maguire, who left Ottawa in January 2013, “appears to have embraced the ISIS cause,” and although the RCMP declined to comment on the case, his family has said police are investigating.
A few months after Maguire left home, police told the family that he had travelled to Syria on a one-way ticket. National Post reporter Stuart Bell reports that since then, his online activity “has made no secret of his newfound extremism,” including the use of the ISIS logo as his Facebook banner photo and posts calling for conversion to Islam.
ISIS is an extremist organization operating in Iraq and Syria, known for its brutality and strict interpretation of Islamic law.
Bell writes that “counter-terrorism officials say they are concerned that Canadian fighters who survive the conflicts in Syria and Iraq may return home to spread anti-Western radicalism and conduct terrorist attacks,” but Maguire is believed to still be in Syria with no plans of returning.
Read the National Post‘s full report here.
