Global News reported Nov. 10 that a Brampton jury convicted Ammara Amjad on a terrorism charge tied to Islamic State (ISIS), in a case about alleged support without taking up arms.
The outlet said the trial lasted two weeks and jurors deliberated for one day. Prosecutors cited domestic duties ISIS allegedly assigned Amjad and messages with her family as evidence that she knowingly supported the group, Global News reported. Defense lawyer Ayeman Kenaway disputed whether prosecutors had established that knowledge and challenged translations of messages by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
Under section 83.18 of Canada's Criminal Code, the offense is knowing participation in or contribution to a terrorist group's activities with the intent to strengthen its capacity to facilitate or carry out terrorist activity. The provision also cites entering or remaining in a country to benefit a group, follow its instructions or act in association with it as possible participation. The maximum prison term is 10 years.
The RCMP said Amjad returned from Syria on April 4, 2023, and officers arrested her under a terrorism peace bond. Officers arrested her again in Milton, Ontario, on Oct. 5, 2023, and charged her under section 83.18; she was released on bail after a court hearing.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) said six Canadian women and their children returned from camps in Syria in 2023. The agency said it worked with the RCMP and the Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC) on charges and peace bonds involving returnees.
The PPSC said Oumaima Chouay pleaded guilty to the same offense in 2025. It described her case as the first Canadian conviction based on spousal family support for a terrorist entity. Chouay received one day in custody in addition to 110 days already served before trial, three years of probation and continued depolarization therapy.
EconoTimes previously covered the jury proceedings in Amjad’s trial. Global News reported that sentencing was scheduled for Feb. 2.
