An alleged pedophile wanted for 12 years in the United States was finally arrested in Quebec, where he quietly rebuilt his life, even obtaining his permanent residence.
“He lived in an apartment block in Pierrefonds. Immigration services now plan to revoke his permanent residency,” reads the extradition request for Sherief Ishac-Sorial.
The 41-year-old man was arrested Thursday by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, at the request of American authorities.
However, if he seemed to lead a tidy life in the west of the island of Montreal, he was however wanted for more than a decade in Ohio, where he is accused in connection with child pornography.
In 2008, investigators discovered that an Internet user had downloaded explicit videos of children being raped by adults.
Thanks to their technological means, they had no trouble tracking down Ishac-Sorial, who lived alone in a small apartment in Cleveland.
During his interrogation, the suspect did not deny anything. Instead, he tried to pretend there was nothing wrong with watching children being sexually abused.
“He added that he was unfamiliar with US law,” reads the extradition request.
His excuses obviously didn’t work since right after he was charged and then convicted in connection with child pornography.
However, he then asked to change his plea, which was granted. And in exchange for a $10,000 bond, a judge agreed to release him pending trial, which was scheduled for May 2010. It was then that Ishac-Sorial took to their heels.
And if the American authorities had never found him, it was because he managed to come and settle in Quebec.
The fact that he used variations of his name, such as Sherief Wafik Boules Ishac, may have helped him hide his status as a fugitive. He was thus able to progress through his immigration process, until his arrest on Thursday.
Rather than sending Ishac-Sorial back to Egypt, his native country, the Americans want him to make a detour to their country to try him. Ishac-Sorial, who appeared in custody at the Montreal courthouse, will return to court later for further proceedings.