A gunman who is accused of shooting four of his family members and killing an Ontario man was allegedly part of a group that pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, a Crown attorney said during an opening statement in the Brampton murder trial this week.
The victim, 25-year-old Naim Akl, became a target when he discovered the group’s loyalties and intended to report them to Canadian authorities, according to Crown Attorney David D’Iorio. The group operated a warehouse business in the Greater Toronto Area.
The suspect’s social media posts declared support for ISIS, prompting swift police action as the country prepares to host the 2024 Summer Olympics.FULL STORY: https://t.co/MhfEj1a1M0 pic.twitter.com/4F2Q6dZsW7— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) April 26, 2024
“They weren’t just buying and selling products. They had pledged allegiance to ISIS, the Islamic State, and money was being used to finance that organization — sent back home to further that cause,” D’Iorio told the jury earlier this week, as reported by CTV News.
“You will hear evidence that Naim Akl had become aware that… the group had pledged allegiance to ISIS,” he continued. “He was planning to go to the authorities and betray the others. It’s our position that the others came up with a plan to prevent that from happening: a plan to kill Naim Akl and his family.”
D’Iorio identified the gunman as Anand Nath and the getaway driver as Suliman Raza who were said to be following the orders of Naqash Abassi. All three have been charged with one count of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder.
The charges have not been proven in court.
The intelligence data, as quoted by the newspaper, revealed Tarik’s plans to drive a truck into a pro-Israel gathering in North Rhine-Westphalia with the intent of maximizing casualties.https://t.co/hL6q53agSI— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) October 25, 2023
The Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, is a recognized terrorist group in Canada and has taken responsibility for several horrific attacks previously.
D’Iorio stated that Akl had converted to Islam without informing his parents, who would not have approved and had begun working for Abassi’s warehouse business.
In May of 2021, members of the family worked at the Chicken Land restaurant in Mississauga. D’Iorio said that family members were preparing food during the dinner rush when a hooded man entered the restaurant and was seen pulling out a gun. He then shoots several members of the family.
Witnesses reported seeing a slim man run towards a getaway car and jump into the trunk as it sped away before any first responders arrived.
Federal law enforcement officials have arrested Jovokhir Attoev, a 33-year-old man from Uzbekistan, who is an alleged member of the ISIS terrorist organization and had been living in the US for the past two years while applying for asylum.MORE: https://t.co/NDLupCWMb5 pic.twitter.com/mR5KXOvLsC— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) May 3, 2024
On Friday, the jury viewed approximately 70 videos from dashcams, surveillance cameras, and traffic cameras that tracked the Honda Accord returning to Abassi’s warehouse.
Police say they found ISIS propaganda on the phones of the accused, and records of Raza’s phone saw searches for “What are the sentences for a getaway driver.”
