TORONTO — An unexpected arrest on foreign soil has brought a measure of comfort to distraught relatives more than a year after a group of American soldiers were killed in an Iraqi bomb blast.
Heidi Frankel said she was shocked to learn that an Edmonton resident was facing charges for his alleged role in the 2009 explosion that killed Pte. Bryce Gautier and four other soldiers, adding that U.S. authorities had never shared the news with her or her surviving son.
The California-based lawyer said she never expected to see anyone brought to justice for the blast that killed her son, since wartime violence is so difficult to explain or investigate.
“It is rather gratifying to know that somebody cared enough to follow up on it,” Frankel said in a telephone interview from Orange County, Calif., on Thursday.
“I’m glad justice is prevailing in its own way, but unfortunately it doesn’t minimize the loss to any of the families.”
Frankel expressed her thanks to the RCMP, who arrested Sayfildin Tahir Sharif after a lengthy investigation conducted in tandem with their U.S. counterparts.
Frankel’s gratitude was shared by Jake Pautsch of Davenport, Iowa, whose brother Cpl. Jason Pautsch, was also slain in the blast.
“It was almost two years ago, they’re not forgetting about it, that’s kind of commendable,” he told The Canadian Press.
“From the Canadian government, that’s a pretty good job. It’s definitely not a wimp’s job to go after terrorists.”
But even with news of the arrest, the memory of how their loved ones perished remains raw.
Frankel said she and Gautier’s other friends and relatives continue to grieve his death, nearly two years after a Tunisian national detonated an explosive-laden truck at the gates of a U.S. military base near Mosul, Iraq.
Staff Sgt. Gary Woods, Sgt. Edward Forrest Jr., and Staff Sgt. Bryan Hall died alongside Gautier and Pautsch in the attack.
Documents from the U.S. justice department allege Sharif provided support to a multinational terrorist organization that was behind the April 10 blast, as well as another suicide bombing days earlier that killed at least seven Iraqis.
The documents allege Sharif held multiple conversations in which he voiced support for the activities of the “Tunisian brothers” believed to be behind the attacks.
Sharif provided advice to aspiring jihadists through online chats, the justice department alleged, citing a transcript in which he cautioned one contact to erase all evidence from his computer.
In November 2009, according to the Justice Department, Sharif told his mother that his greatest wish was to die a martyr and be greeted by 70 virgins in paradise.
Sharif, 38, was working construction jobs and living with his wife and children in Edmonton prior to his arrest on Wednesday.
He made a brief court appearance on Thursday during which his case was put over until later in the month.
He remains in custody while U.S. authorities work to have him extradited to New York to face charges. Sharif’s lawyer has said his client will fight all extradition efforts
If convicted in the U.S., Sharif faces life in prison, a fact that doesn’t sit well with Jake Pautsch.
“I don’t think our tax dollars should go to supporting terrorism,” he said. “We don’t negotiate with terrorists and we don’t co-operate with them. I don’t see why they should have a nice warm place to sleep in our United States prisons.”
Neither Pautsch nor Frankel subscribe to the oft-voiced opinion that Canada boasts weak security policies that make it a safe-haven for would-be terrorists.
Canada has emerged as a clear opponent of terrorist activity and can’t be held accountable for the actions of individual citizens, they said.
“I’ve been to Canada, it’s a lovely country. As far as security and everything else, I’ve never had any concerns with it,” Frankel said.
“Besides, we find our own home-grown terrorists all over here.”