‘A terrorism offence’: Upgrade to charge against Montreal man with al-Qaida ties accused of transit threat
Posted July 7, 2025 12:35 pm.
Last Updated July 8, 2025 5:54 pm.
A man previously convicted of supporting al-Qaida, now accused of threatening to attack Montreal public transit, could ultimately face the possibility of life in prison after the Attorney General granted federal prosecutors permission Monday to pursue the case as a terrorism-related offence.
Mohamed Abdullah Warsame, 51, allegedly told an employee at the Old Brewery Mission homeless shelter on May 27 that he wanted to build bombs to detonate on public transit.
He was initially charged with uttering threats in June, an offence that carries a maximum sentence of five years. Now, the Somali-born Canadian could face a life sentence after prosecutor Samuel Monfette-Tessier announced he’s upgrading the charge against using Section 83.27 of the code.
“This also means the charge of uttering threats is now considered a terrorism offence,” Monfette-Tessier told the court Monday.
“What this means is that the act that he is alleged to have committed would also be terrorist activity, which means for a greater punishment,” he said.
The Criminal Code under Section 83.27 states that a person who is convicted of an offence that normally carries a lesser term of imprisonment can be given a life sentence “where the act or omission constituting the offence also constitutes a terrorist activity.”
This is the first time in Quebec that a notice has been issued to consider a criminal charge for greater punishment under terrorist activity, Monfette-Tessier said.
This all comes after a psychological assessment done at the Philippe-Pinel Institute was conducted to determine if Warsame would be able to be held criminally responsible.
The content of the assessment has been sealed at the request of the defence, meaning that nobody from the public can have access to the report.
Warsame is represented by legal aid lawyer Vincent Petit, with Quebec Court judge Marie Kettlyne Ruben presiding.
Prior to being charged with uttering threats, Warsame pleaded guilty in Minnesota in 2009 to providing material support to the terrorist organization al-Qaida, according to the RCMP. He was then sentenced to 92 months in U.S. federal prison.
In 2010, Warsame was deported to Canada. He had no fixed address at the time of the alleged incident in Montreal.
Warsame travelled to Afghanistan and Pakistan between 2000 and 2001 where he attended al-Qaida training camps and met the organization’s founder, Osama bin Laden, according to his 2009 plea agreement. The accused subsequently worked at an al-Qaida guesthouse and clinic.
Court proceedings are scheduled to continue on July 14.
—With files from The Canadian Press
