A Canadian man who traveled to Syria to fight alongside ISIS appears in a video released by the militant Islamist group, calling on fellow Canadian Muslims to carry out “lone wolf” attacks on Canadian targets.
In the six-minute video, Maguire appears surrounded by ruins in an undisclosed location in either Iraq or Syria, according to CBC . Speaking in English, Maguire is identified as Abu Anwar al-Canadi. He does not appear to be under duress.
According to National Post , the video references recent terrorist attacks carried out in Canada by radicalized Muslims, including the attack in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu , where a radicalized Muslim, acting alone, ran over and killed a Canadian soldier and injured another.
“You either pack your bags, or prepare your explosive devices. You either purchase your airline ticket, or you sharpen your knife.”
A family member, who asked not to be identified, confirmed that the man in the video is the John Maguire that he or she used to know.
“This young man is definitely John Douglas [Maguire]… but not the John Douglas that we knew, loved and remember. You cannot imagine how badly I feel that I did not realize or understand what was going on at the time.”
A former friend of Maguire — a Muslim who doesn’t support extremism — recalled Maguire from his days at university.
“To think a person who I used to stand next to in prayer three years ago would turn out like this is unbelievable.”
John Maguire is one of at least 130 Canadians known to be fighting alongside ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
[Image courtesy of: CBC ]
