The sentencing of Calgary terrorism sympathizer Zakarya Rida Hussein was adjourned again Tuesday, this time so his lawyer can deal with a new “wrinkle” in the case.
Defence counsel Alain Hepner asked Justice Harry Van Harten to delay sentencing submissions to September, so he can deal with the latest issue with his client and the offender’s family.
A large contingent of supporters were present in Calgary Court of Justice as Hussein, 21, made a brief appearance in the case.
Hepner told Van Harten that although he was able to speak to Hussein Monday night at the Calgary Remand Centre, he still needed more time to deal with the latest development.
“There has been a wrinkle in the joint submission,” Hepner said, of a proposed agreement between himself and Crown prosecutors Kent Brown and Domenic Puglia.
“I’m dealing with the entire family, who’s behind me,” he said of his client’s relatives seated in the courtroom gallery.
Hepner said the unspecified problem only arose in the past two or three days.
“There’s just some issues that I have to resolve,” he said.
“I need to spend more time with my client and the family.”
Hussein pleaded guilty last Dec. 1, to a charge of facilitating a terrorist activity.
He was to face a sentencing hearing in March, but a forensic psychological assessment was only made available shortly before that date and an adjournment was required.
At that time Van Harten indicated he found the contents of the report “troubling.”
The judge said he would need to know “whether (Hussein) presents a real danger to the public … or whether, as he puts it in the report ‘(he was) duped into what he did.”
At the time of Hussein’s plea Brown read in a statement of agreed facts dealing with Hussein’s activities prior to his June 15, 2023, arrest and a search of his home and vehicle.
Among the items seized, Brown said, was a “notebook containing handwritten notes with step-by-step instructions for making an improvised explosive device.”
A consultation with experts “determined that the handwritten instructions located in the accused’s room appeared to be a viable and accurate means for the creation of a homemade explosive.”
On May 14, 2023, Hussein “knowingly facilitated a terrorist activity by posting an ISIS recruitment video to TikTok,” Brown said.
Hussein also spoke of targeting members of the LGBTQ+ community.
On June 1, 2023, he posted in a chat on Snapchat: “Tomorrow my mission begins. It’s Pride month. I’ve been waiting.”
He remains in custody pending a sentencing decision.
X: @KMartinCourts