Montreal man’s terrorism case delayed as psychiatric evaluation continues
Posted March 9, 2026 8:09 am.
Last Updated March 9, 2026 3:03 pm.
A Montreal man previously convicted in the United States of supporting al-Qaida did not appear in court as scheduled Monday as he faces multiple terrorism-related charges in Quebec.
The case involving 51-year-old Mohammed Abdullah Warsame has now been postponed until March 31.
Warsame is facing a terrorism charge after allegedly telling a worker at the Old Brewery Mission shelter in Montreal that he knew how to make explosives and wanted to build bombs to use on Montreal’s public transit system to kill a large number of people.
He is also facing two provincial charges, including uttering threats, after allegedly making phone calls from the Rivière-des-Prairies detention centre claiming there were bombs at Passport Canada offices in Montreal and Quebec City.
According to his lawyer, the delay comes as doctors at the Philippe-Pinel Psychiatric Institute continue a psychiatric evaluation related to the alleged threats.
The defence requested a new assessment after a separate psychiatric report suggested Warsame may be suffering from schizophrenia, differing from an earlier evaluation that linked his psychosis to drug use.
His lawyer says the evaluation has not yet been completed and doctors have asked for more time to review the file. The case is now scheduled to return to court on March 31.
According to U.S. authorities, Warsame, a Somali-born Canadian, pleaded guilty in Minnesota in 2009 to providing material support to al-Qaida after attending lectures by Osama bin Laden. He served 92 months in a U.S. federal prison before being deported to Canada in 2010.
His lawyer has said Warsame currently has no affiliation with any terrorist organization.
