Somali man claiming refugee status in Canada is under investigation by the FBI and ‘may pose danger to the public’

A Somali described as a “person-of-interest” to the FBI is being held in Manitoba after he and another man walked across the border from Minnesota and were captured by RCMP officers.

Ahmed Abdi Ismail and his travelling companion got 15 kilometres inland before they were picked up by members of the RCMP Integrated Border Enforcement Team on March 20.

Three days later, FBI agents flew to Winnipeg to interview Mr. Ismail, who is described in court documents only as “the subject of an FBI investigation for matters of security.”

Although he has been detained almost two months now, the reasons for the FBI probe remain a mystery. “All we know is that the FBI is interested in him and has asked for him to be held,” Anthony Navaneelan, his Toronto lawyer, said Wednesday.

The Canada Border Services Agency is conducting its own investigation into whether he should be deported under a section of the immigration law that applies to those engaged in terrorism, espionage and subversion.

Mr. Ismail has claimed refugee status in Canada. The Immigration and Refugee Board declined to release any information about the case, saying the proceedings were being conducted in private. The CBSA likewise would not comment for privacy reasons.

But documents filed in the Federal Court show that Mr. Ismail was arrested near Emerson, Man., a border town about 600 kilometres north of Minneapolis, where the American Somali population is concentrated.

nationalpost.com