Momin Khawaja, sentenced to life in prison for participating in a plot to blow up targets in the UK, had his parole application refused by the Appeal Division of the Parole Board of Canada, which feels that he has not yet taken responsibility for his actions.
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His request was initially denied last February, but the man later appealed the decision, the report reported. National Post.
“Assuming responsibility for manufacturing electronic devices or funding and training terrorist organizations to advance their interests without having a full appreciation of how your role has contributed to and facilitated the broader goals of terrorist organizations is problematic,” the Appeals Division told the outlet.
The 43-year-old has been behind bars for 18 years following being accused of involvement in an al-Qaeda plot in the UK. He was arrested in March 2004 and tried in 2008. Five Britons were also sentenced to life imprisonment for the same case.
Recall that Khawaja was the first Canadian convicted under Canada’s Anti-Terrorism Act, which came into force a few months following the attacks of September 11, 2001.
According to the Appeals Division, the individual said during a psychological evaluation last November that no one had been injured while working on the detonator.
When he was first refused parole, the Commission said he posed an “excessive risk to society”.
But for Khawaja, she would not have taken into account the evolution of her beliefs during her time behind bars. The detainee would have said in particular that he wanted to move to a halfway house in Ottawa, study law and help refugees.
The Appeals Division, however, argued that the man did not provide a viable release plan or concrete evidence of his changed beliefs.
