Ontario man who left Canada to join ISIS free after time served, faces probation and DNA order

CBC
·2 min read
Given the time he spent in pre-trial detention since his arrest, Ikar Mao is free — but must undergo 12 months probation and provide a DNA sample. Mao pleaded guilty to a terrorism charge on Monday. (Ikar Mao/Couchsurfing.com - image credit)
Given the time he spent in pre-trial detention since his arrest, Ikar Mao is free — but must undergo 12 months probation and provide a DNA sample. Mao pleaded guilty to a terrorism charge on Monday. (Ikar Mao/Couchsurfing.com - image credit)

An Ontario man who pleaded guilty to leaving Canada to cross into Syria and join ISIS has been sentenced to 49 months in prison and 12 months probation, but will serve no additional time in custody.

Given the time he spent in pre-trial detention since his arrest, Ikar Mao is free — but must undergo 12 months probation and provide a DNA sample. Mao pleaded guilty to a terrorism charge on Monday.

Taken into account in his sentencing were the facts that he pleaded guilty, agreed to seek counselling from an imam on deradicalization, that he had no prior record, and that he is studying at a university.

Court also heard Mao changed jails four times during his time in detention, endured several lockdowns largely because of jail staff shortages, did not receive proper treatment during Ramadan when it came to proper food scheduling, and was subject to humiliation by guards.

In an agreed statement of facts filed with the court, Mao admitted to travelling to Turkey for the express purpose of crossing the border into Syria and making himself available to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

When he returned to Canada on Oct. 19, 2019, some of his personal items were seized, including numerous electronic devices. A search of the items demonstrated Mao travelled to Turkey in order to enter Syria and then to ISIS-controlled territory, according to the agreed statement of facts.

Federal prosecutors withdrew a second charge against Ikar Mao.

A news release from The Public Prosecution Service of Canada earlier this week said the Crown expected to stay the charges against his wife.

Mao and his wife, who is from Markham, Ont., were detained in Turkey in July 2019 after family members alerted officials they feared they might be planning to cross the border into Syria to join ISIS. They were released and returned to Canada in October the same year.

Mao was arrested and charged in November. He was denied bail in December 2019.

Nine months later, his wife was also arrested in Pickering, Ont., and charged with the same offences. She was granted bail with conditions in March of this year.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Premature baby girl rescued from her dead mother's womb dies in Gaza after 5 days in an incubator

    A premature Palestinian infant, rescued from her mother's womb shortly after the woman was killed in an Israeli airstrike, has died, her uncle said Friday. Sabreen Jouda died in a Gaza hospital on Thursday after her health deteriorated and medical teams were unable to save her, said her uncle, Rami al-Sheikh. Sabreen's home in the southern Gaza city of Rafah was hit by an Israeli airstrike shortly before midnight Saturday.

  • Benny Blanco opens up about falling for Selena Gomez

    The songwriter and record producer has revealed he realised he had feelings for the Lose You to Love Me singer during a recording session. The pair had known each other as friends and collaborators for nearly a decade before they started dating in June last year. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal published on Thursday, Benny admitted he "was the last one to know" he was in love with Selena. "It's crazy how your partner could just be sitting there the whole time,…”

  • Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber move could open door at Haas for Ollie Bearman

    The 18-year-old Briton is targeting a 2025 race seat after impressing as a Ferrari stand-in at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

  • Why are TikTokers suddenly obsessed with a 2001 Bollywood film?

    Social media content creators all over the world are using #AsokaMakeup hashtag to create intricate looks inspired by South Asian brides

  • Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf cancels event as he fights for his political survival

    Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf has cancelled a speech he was due to give in Glasgow this lunchtime as he fights for his political life. The event at Strathclyde University, where the SNP leader was also due to take part in a question and answer session and take questions from the press, was scratched with just a few hours notice. The move will fuel speculation over his future, particularly after sources said Mr Yousaf would "come out fighting" after his former allies in government, the Scottish Greens, said they would join the other opposition parties in a vote of no confidence next week.

  • Mystery over 19-year-old’s last moments after his naked body was found on the road following four-day party

    Noah Presgrove had just graduated high school and planned to join the military when he died in September 2023

  • Satellite Imagery Shows Dust Blowing Across Border From Mexico

    Dust blowing north from Mexico into Texas and New Mexico could be seen in satellite imagery from Thursday, April 25, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.Timelapse Footage released by the NWS in El Paso tracks the dust. The service had warned of blowing dust due to high winds. Credit: NWS El Paso via Storyful

  • Alcon Inc. (VTX:ALC) is a favorite amongst institutional investors who own 64%

    Key Insights Significantly high institutional ownership implies Alcon's stock price is sensitive to their trading...

  • China's Bank of Communications Q1 profit rises 1.44%

    China's Bank of Communications Co Ltd (BoCom), reported a 1.44% rise in first-quarter net profit amid a slowing economy. BoCom, the first among five of the nation's biggest state banks reporting first-quarter results, booked a net profit of 24.99 billion yuan ($3.45 billion) in the three months ended March, up from 24.63 billion yuan in the same period last year, the bank said in a filing on Friday. China's lenders face shrinking profitability as they are urged to reduce interest rates on loans to help bolster flagging sectors as lending demand falls.

  • Crusaders beat Rebels for second win in 2024; boost Super Rugby playoff hopes

    The defending champion Crusaders fanned their faint playoff hopes in Super Rugby Pacific Friday with a six-try, 39-0 win over the fourth-placed Melbourne Rebels. The win was only the Crusaders’ second in nine games this season but temporarily bounced them off the bottom of the championship ladder and brightened their chances of reaching the quarterfinals with five matches remaining. The Christchurch-based Crusaders fielded the biggest pack they could find and crushed the Rebels’ scrum, winning penalties and territory through the first 30 minutes.

  • Is a mini-heatwave heading for the UK? Met Office issues verdict

    Can we expect some decent weather early next month? Or will it be more wind and rain?

  • London travel news LIVE: Tube stations shut amid new strike as two lines delayed after 'casualty on tracks'

    Several London Underground stations are closed due to workers striking while two Tube lines were halted because of a casualty on the track. Transport for London marked six stations on the network at 10am on Friday due to the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association action. The union said the action was likely to cause Tube stations to close at the last minute, including into Saturday morning, but Transport for London said there will not be significant disruption.

  • Mum had re-use sanitary towels and brush teeth with water after falling into debt

    A divorced mum-of-two reveals the 'dark times' she suffered after falling into hygiene poverty that left her feeling ashamed and embarrassed. Caroline Gandy-Brown, 54, spiralled into debt after a divorce and found herself having to sacrifice her own hygiene for the sake of the children. She laid bare the reality of hygiene poverty as new figures show single adults need an annual income of £31,536 to afford essentials - almost £2,000 more than the average £29,669 salary. Caroline would clean her teeth with the same old toothbrush for a year, sometimes with just water, so her kids wouldn't run out of toothpaste and when on her period she would reuse sanitary towels with toilet paper stuffed in them. She admitted: "I thought I had totally failed as a mum. "You do feel that you are absolutely an utter failure when you can't provide for your own family. With the average salary at £29,669, the latest research, commissioned by hygiene and health company Essity, in partnership with, Unilever, Haleon, Kimberly Clark and Edgewell, shows that one in four people are struggling to afford essentials including hygiene products. They have launched an in-store promotion in Tesco stores where customers buy two products and a hygiene product will be donated to charity In Kind Direct.

  • Sweden refuses to use VAR amid fan revolt

    Sweden has become the first country to refuse to use Video Assistant Referees following a fan revolt against its introduction.

  • VAR is doomed because fans will never truly trust its technology

    Now and again, too rarely, you get a sense of your life slipping away in real time. Usually this comes during hour two of a zonked-out doomscroll, realising you have consumed everything new across your preferred social networks with nothing to show for it beyond a jangly, hollowed-out feeling. You can achieve a similar effect with prolonged exposure to the VAR discourse.

  • UPDATE 1-European shares on track for weekly gains; Thyssenkrupp glows

    European shares rose on Friday and looked set to end the week higher as investors cheered robust results from tech giants in the United States, while Thyssenkrupp was on course for its best day in 23 months on a divesture announcement. The pan-European STOXX 600 index started the session with a 0.6% increase by 0845 GMT. The technology sector drove most of the gains on the top index as investors took comfort from upbeat quarterly results from U.S. technology giants Microsoft and Alphabet.

  • Reading terror attack families ‘trust’ judge to give answers

    The father of one of the Reading terror attack victims said the families are trusting the judge to make recommendations at the inquest conclusion that will “prevent other families from facing the pain, heartbreak and loss that we must live with every day”. Speaking outside of the Old Bailey on Friday morning, Gary Furlong, the father of James, said: “It is now almost four years since our boys, James, Joseph and David were taken from us in the murderous terror attack by Khairi Saadallah in Forbury Gardens. We waited patiently while the criminal trial and appeal by Saadallah ran their course. We have listened to six weeks of evidence at the inquest into our boys’ death.".

  • US-China relations at risk of ‘downward spiral’, Blinken warned

    US-China relations are at risk of taking a “downward spiral”, Antony Blinken was warned during his trip to Beijing on Friday.

  • Harlequins must hit right tempo at Twickenham to keep Premiership play-off bid alive

    Alex Dombrandt is confident Quins can cause leader Northampton real problems on Saturday

  • US university cancels graduation ceremony over fear of pro-Palestine disruption

    The University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles has cancelled its main graduation ceremony, citing new safety measures following student protests over the Israel-Gaza war.