Othman Ayed Hamdan arrested, facing terrorism charges

A man in Fort St. John, B.C., has been arrested and is facing terrorism charges, the RCMP says.

An RCMP investigation that began in October 2014 revealed thatOthman AyedHamdan, 33, was allegedly involved in pro-Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)propaganda postedonline.

Documents obtained by CBC show that a 33-year-oldman with the same name in Fort St. John owns a residentialbuilding contracting company calledNoexContracting.

"This arrest today once again makes it very clear that the threat is real," said Kerry-LynneFindlay, MP forDelta-Richmond East.

"That is why our government passed the Anti-Terrorism Act 2015, which enhances the ability of our police officers to detain suspected terrorists before they can harm Canadians."

Hamdaniscurrently being held in custody and will soon be appearing in court, say RCMP.

He faces three terrorism-related offences:

• counselling to commit murder for the benefit of a terrorist group.
• counselling to assault causing bodily harm for the benefit of a terrorist group.
• counselling to commit aggravated assaultfor the benefit of a terrorist group.

Findlay was not able to provide any details about Hamdan, including his nationality.

RCMP say they are not able to comment because the matter is before the courts.