In court filings ahead of his sentencing hearing, prosecutors said Mohammed Khalifa was a “great figure in ISIS.” In a statement, the US Department of Justice said Khalifa executed two Syrian soldiers and provided the narration and translation for about 15 videos created and distributed by ISIS.
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“The videos depict graphic depictions of ISIS and its fighters as well as scenes of violence, including depictions of unarmed prisoners being executed, footage of ISIS attacks and battles, and depictions of ISIS attacks on the United States,” the department said. Story continues below ad A 39-year-old IT worker who grew up in Toronto, Khalifa left Canada in 2013 for Syria, where he trained and used his English language skills to narrate ISIS execution videos. In the 2014 video, “Flames of War,” he was seen making Syrians dig their own graves and shooting a kneeling man in the back of the head. He did the same in a 2017 video, “Flames of War II.” Trending Stories
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On January 13, 2019, he fired on US-backed Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria when his AK-47 jammed, leading to his capture. Although the RCMP was investigating Khalifa at the time, the United States took him into custody and transported him to Washington, DC, to face charges. He pleaded guilty on December 10. Story continues below ad During the time Khalifa was a prominent member of ISIS, the US department said the terror group conducted a violent hostage and ransom campaign with journalists and aid workers who came to Syria from around the world. Between August 19, 2014 and February 6, 2015, ISIS killed eight American, British and Japanese citizens in Syria as part of the hostage plot. — With files from Stewart Bell © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.