MONTREAL — A Quebec man was convicted on Thursday of four terrorism charges related to the plotting of attacks in Germany and Austria because of their military role in Afghanistan.
Said Namouh was found guilty of conspiracy to detonate an explosive device, participating in a terrorist act, facilitating an act and committing extortion for a terrorist group.
Namouh was alleged to have spent countless hours creating, distributing and re-distributing numerous propaganda videos that included images of deaths of western soldiers and of suicide bombings.
Namouh, 36, faces life in prison. Sentencing arguments will be held Nov. 13.
The Crown argued Namouh was a member of the Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF), an organization involved in propaganda and jihad recruitment and which is described as a media tool for al-Qaida.
Namouh’s lawyer questioned the Crown’s evidence, saying it fell short of proving he actively encouraged anyone to commit terrorist acts.
Namouh was initially arrested in Quebec in September 2007 for his alleged role in plotting terror attacks in Germany and Austria.
The Moroccan native has permanent residence status in Canada.
Judge Claude Leblond said in his ruling he believes the Global Islamic Media Front is a terrorist group in the eyes of Canadian law.
RCMP computer-crimes detectives found evidence on Namouh’s computer of dozens of videos and other propaganda materials, as well as thousands of pages of transcripts from online discussions revealing he was an active member on jihad forums and message boards.
In his closing arguments, Crown prosecutor Dominique Dudemaine described the videos as Namouh’s “bread and butter” and said it was clear Namouh was heavily invested in the group.
The Crown alleged Namouh produced and distributed many videos, including films on how to detonate suicide bombs and encrypt emails.
He was also accused of publishing a video of the Gaza kidnapping of BBC journalist Alan Johnston by a group known as the Army of Islam, an organization affiliated with GIMF.