Peshdary trial told of flight that might have been

Accused terror recruiter and financier Awso Peshdary had a flight booked for Istanbul, but the ticket was cancelled hours before the plane was to take off, a judge heard as Peshdary’s long-delayed trial resumed Monday.

Another seat on the same flight was booked in the name of John Douglas Maguire, who boarded the Royal Air Maroc flight in Montreal on Dec. 6, 2012, and made the connection in Casablanca, Morocco, the following morning.

Maguire never boarded the return flight from Istanbul, which had been booked for both men to fly home Jan. 2, 2013, in the economy cabin of Flight 911.

Ahmed Hosny, an information technology manager with Handa Travel, testified Monday to details contained in the travel agency’s records for Peshdary and Maguire.

Maguire was 22 when he left Canada for the last time in 2012. He later surfaced in a notorious December 2014 ISIL recruitment video, calling on Muslims to wage jihad on Canadian soil.

The RCMP arrested Peshdary, now 28, in February 2015 and accused him of being a top ISIL recruiter and financier. He has pleaded not guilty.

Federal prosecutors entered into evidence the flight booking records made in the names of Peshdary and Maguire through the local agency.

Under cross-examination from Peshdary’s defence lawyer Solomon Friedman, Hosny acknowledged it was not possible to determine who had actually made or paid for the booking.

The seats for both men indicated they were paid for by a method other than credit card, Hosny said, which could have included cash, cheque or invoice.

The same cellphone number and email address were listed as primary contact information for both men.

According to the records, a Lufthansa flight from Montreal to Munich, with a connection to Istanbul, was booked in Peshdary’s name for a flight set to depart Dec. 10, 2012.

That booking was made Nov. 21, 2012, along with a request for a “non-smoking window seat,” according to Hosny, and the tickets were issued upon payment three days later.

However, the reservation was cancelled on Nov. 26, 2012, and was rebooked for another route from Montreal to Istanbul via Casablanca.

The departure date had also changed and a new ticket was booked for Dec. 6.

Four days after the reservation was changed, another reservation was made for the same flight under Maguire’s name.

According to the travel agency records, Maguire fulfilled the first leg of that journey, departing Montreal Dec. 6 at 9 p.m. and connecting in the port city of Casablanca at 11 a.m. local time, bound for Istanbul.

The RCMP allege Maguire then made his way into Syria, where he joined the ranks of the Islamic State.

Hosny said the return flight home, booked for Jan. 2, 2013, was listed as “open” status, meaning the tickets were never redeemed.

It is believed Maguire died in battle in Syria, though his death has never been confirmed by any western agency, and RCMP and Interpol warrants for his arrest remain active.

Peshdary’s trial continues.