– HASSAN ALMREI

Hassan  Almrei was born on 01/01/1974 in Syria. In 1981 his family moved to Dammam, Saudi Arabia, where he was raised. His paternal uncle had been sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment and his father was sentenced to death in Syria for their role in the Syrian Muslims Brotherhood. As a teenager Hassan  Almrei was known for memorizing the Quran.

Already in local high school Hassan  Almrei worked, in 1990, in a local Islamic – The Muslim African Agency.

At the age of 18 Hassan  Almrei left Saudi Arabia to Afghanistan, using a forged Syrian passport, where he attended a training camp related to Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, an ethnic Tajik and later a Northern Alliance commander in Afghanistan.

In 1992-94 Hassan  Almrei participated in the civil war in Tajikistan, got acquainted to Amir Khattab and kept his connection with him since. He also traveled on and of, during those years, to Afghanistan. In 1994 in Kunduz, he met with Nabil al-Marabh, who became later a Toronto resident.

Hassan Almrei tried to immigrate to Canada from Saudi Arabia, for the first time, in 04/1998, as a visiting tourist. He was turned down. Then he traveled to Thailand where he obtained another Syrian false passport and returned to Canada, via Jordan, in 01/02/1999. He was picked up by a fellow veteran from Afghanistan Ahmed al-Kaysee and stayed in Toronto.

In 09/1999, Hassan  Almrei and five other men were caught in a restricted portion of Pearson Airport, as they “appeared to have access cards and codes”.

Hassan  Almrei renewed his connection with Nabil al-Marabh at the Toronto copy store owned by al-Marabh’s uncle, Ahmed Shehab, where a number of forged identity cards were later found.  In 01/2000 Hassan  Almrei purchased a Middle Eastern eatery named Eat-A-Pita for $22,000.

In 06/2000 Hassan  Almrei was granted refugee status, stating that he feared persecution in Syria due to his father’s alleged membership in the Muslims brotherhood.

Hassan  Almrei, has traveled to Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and Pakistan. He was arrested in the aftermath of The 9/11 on 10/19/2001. Hassan  Almrei is one of five Muslim foreigners held under a national security certificate – which allows the Canadian government to detain them indefinitely as a threat to public safety based on secret evidence.

On Friday 09/12/2008 Hassan  Almrei challenged his detention in Federal Court in Toronto, Canada. He argued that his lengthy incarceration violates his constitutional rights and his detention without charge or trial amounts to cruelty.

Hassan  Almrei was released from jail, on Friday 01/02/2008, by a Canadian Federal Court order under strict conditions.  

 

 

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