No-fly list breach spurs call for new border ‘tools’

Canada’s security officials need to give serious thought to beefing up controls at the border in the wake of the revelation that a British Columbia man managed to slip out of the country despite allegedly being on the “no-fly” list, an intelligence expert said Thursday.

“I’d rather have more tools in my tool box to secure our borders,” said Ray Boisvert, former assistant director for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.

“I’m inclined to have a better form of exit control,” including possibly the use of biometric technology, such as retina or fingerprint scans, he said.

The RCMP this week announced Hasibullah Yusufzai, 25, of Burnaby, B.C., had been charged under a new anti-terror law for allegedly leaving Canada in January to “join Islamist fighters” in Syria.

The National Post reported Yusufzai was alleged to be on Canada’s no-fly list, but evaded authorities by using a passport that did not belong to him. Postmedia News also confirmed he had used a false passport. Neither public safety nor transport officials would comment Thursday.

Others suspected of terror links have been blocked from leaving the country in the past. Mohamed Hersi on Thursday was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of attempting to leave the country to participate in terrorist activity and for counselling someone to participate in terrorist activity. Prosecutors had said the 28-year-old Toronto man was on his way to join a Somali militant group when he was stopped at Pearson International Airport.