A man who confessed to participating in terrorist activities by the armed group Islamic State was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Thursday in Alberta.
Hussein Borhot, 36, appeared before Judge David Labrenz of the Court of Queen’s Bench — the equivalent of the Superior Court — in Calgary on Thursday morning.
The accused had pleaded guilty to having joined the ranks of the terrorist group, between May 9, 2013 and June 7, 2014. He also admitted to having participated in a kidnapping during a stay in Syria.
Judge Labrenz accepted a joint proposal from the Crown and the defense regarding the sentence to be imposed. Both parties suggested eight years imprisonment for the first count and four for the second.
The magistrate also imposed a lifetime firearms ban on the accused and ruled that his DNA should be added to the national database.
RCMP arrested Hussein Borhot in July 2020 following a seven-year investigation.
In a summary of facts filed in court last month, it is stated that Borhot traveled to Syria, via Turkey, to become a member of the Islamic State armed group.
The document states that he enlisted as a fighter for the group, received extensive training and excelled as a sniper. He did not notify his wife and children before he left.
During the trial, witnesses explained that the accused revealed the details of his time in the armed group Islamic State to an undercover agent upon his return to Canada.
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