Canada has denied refugee status to a former official of the Palestine Liberation Organization, contending that he is a security threat to the country.
But for Mahmoud Abu Shandi, held in detention since he landed at Montreal’s Mirabel Airport nearly a month ago, the Immigration Department’s rebuff last week does not necessarily mean his swift ouster from Canada.
His case will be heard by the Federal Court, which will have to decide whether Abu Shandi is indeed a security risk, as the immigration authorities contend, or whether he should be released while his refugee claim is processed.
If earlier security cases are any guide, the legal machinery grinds exceedingly slowly.
One of the most notorious terrorists dealt with by Canada’s Security and Intelligence Service is Mahmoud Mohammad Issa Mohammad, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, who arrived in Canada as an immigrant in February 1987, was ordered deported in December 1988 but is still in the country.
Mohammad, 49, was convicted of the 1968 terrorist bombing of an El Al airliner in Athens, in which one man was killed. In 1970, a Greek court sentenced Mohammad to 17 years and five months in prison, but he was released a year later in a hostage exchange and deported to Lebanon.
Although an immigration hearing determined that Mohammad had concealed his criminal past when applying for permanent residence, he was permitted to stay in the country, pending action on a request for refugee status.
Under Canada’s refugee status determination process, revised in January 1989, a claimant must pass a credible basis hearing before going before a full adjudication panel.
Owing to the heavy backlog, Mohammad’s case has not yet been heard.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
