Woman facing terror charges was to join Daesh, RCMP says

Accused left for Syria but was intercepted overseas, Crown says

The Scarborough woman accused of swinging a golf club and a knife at Canadian Tire employees and customers, and who has also pledged allegiance to Daesh, had left to go to Syria to join the terrorist organization in April 2016, according to the RCMP. On Tuesday, the RCMP charged Rehab Dughmosh, 32, a Syrian-Canadian mother of two young children, with 14 criminal counts under terrorism provisions, which state that Dughmosh’s actions were performed “at the direction, behest or benefit of a terrorist organization.”

These include four previous charges of attempted murder, four of assault with a weapon, three of carrying a dangerous weapon and two of carrying a concealed weapon. She is also facing a new charge of leaving Canada for the purpose of participating in a terrorist group.

According to federal Crown prosecutor Howard Piafsky, Dughmosh left Canada on April 24, 2016, to go to Syria, but was intercepted in Turkey and sent back.

Earlier that month, Dughmosh separated from her husband of more than seven years. According to court records, Dughmosh was married to Anas Hanafy in November 2008 and started living with him in Canada in September 2010. A month later, they had their first child.

Hanafy applied for divorce in May 2017.

Including Tuesday’s appearance, Dughmosh has now been in court four times, each time wearing a black niqab and green prison clothing. In her first appearance she pledged allegiance to Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL) and “to the leader of the believers Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.”

She has repeated versions of this allegiance in her subsequent appearances while also claiming that she does not believe in the Canadian justice system.

“I renounce any man-made law,” she said through an Arabic interpreter in her June 26 court appearance.

“I only believe in the divine law created by Allah. I want Allah to be the supreme word.”

Dughmosh has refused the aid of any legal counsel, despite repeated entreaties by the judge to reconsider, based on the seriousness of her charges.

“I reject all counsel here,” Dughmosh said. “I would like to revoke my Canadian citizenship that I received. I don’t want to have any allegiance to you.

“If you release me, I will commit these actions again and again and again.”

On Tuesday, Dughmosh was confused about the new charges laid against her, claiming that they were the same as the old ones.

“I always said I was with ISIS,” she said.

Dughmosh also tried to plead guilty to the charges.

“If I were to plead guilty for the old and new charge, will the case end today?” she asked.

This was not the first time Dughmosh tried to plead guilty. On June 26, she announced her willingness to plead guilty immediately.

“What I just said proves I’m guilty, that I will go on fighting you.”

In both appearances, the judge has responded to her attempts by remanding the case to allow the Crown

“If you release me, I will commit these actions again and again and again.” REHAB DUGHMOSH CHARGED WITH 14 CRIMINAL COUNTS

more time to prepare full disclosure.

“I’d like you to think about and reconsider whether you’d be willing to speak to a lawyer,” Judge Kimberley Crosbie said to Dughmosh.

Police sources have confirmed to the Star that Dughmosh was wearing a headband with Daesh markings at the Canadian Tire incident in June, and pledged her allegiance to that terror group inside the store.

One store employee sustained nonlife-threatening injuries in the incident, during which police said a woman swung a golf club at employees and a customer, then began to utter threats before being restrained. Police alleged the woman then pulled a large knife from under her clothing, which employees and customers managed to pry from her hand.

Neighbours at Dughmosh’s apartment building told the Star she wasn’t well known and was rarely seen.

One source said her name is not on the apartment lease.

“Her performance in court suggests to me we’re dealing with a very radicalized woman,” said Phil Gurski, a former strategic analyst at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, referring to how Dughmosh pledged allegiance to Daesh before her first bail hearing on June 7 even began.

“The only difference is that 14th charge (leaving Canada for the purpose of participating in a terrorist group); otherwise it’s just a case of a common assault,” said Gurski.

The Crown has asked for the case to be remanded for two weeks. Dughmosh, who remains in custody, will appear in court again July 21. With files from Wendy Gillis and Jayme Poisson