In Canada Hassan Almrei

the shop al-marabh , almrei met.

on january 2, 1999, flew toronto pearson international airport jordan. upon landing claimed had used forged passport united arab emirates , had destroyed it. picked @ airport friend ahmed al kaysee, whom d met while in afghanistan.

in september 1999, almrei , 5 other men had been in restricted portion of pearson airport, appeared have access cards , codes . explanation has been offered these 6 men working in airport @ temporary jobs, , credentials legitimate. maintained contact thai smuggler. attending jami mosque, almrei met ibrahim ishak, introduced himself bosnian immigration consultant. almrei later directed 2 people seeking acquiring g-class driver s licences ishak, paid him referral.

within months of arriving, had become close friends hassan ahmed, , him fruit stand, had trouble speaking female customers due religious upbringing; later began flirt openly them religious stance relaxed. suggested interested in finding prospective wife. ahmed later register cell phone almrei in name.

almrei says contacted al-marabh, kunduz guesthouse, while latter still living in united states, , asked him acquire false passport c$2,000. says since al-marabh introduced himself abu adnan , did not recognise him. almrei used childhood name, abu al-hareth , during transaction. 2 met @ toronto copy store owned al-marabh s uncle, ahmed shehab, number of prominent forged identity cards later found - , almrei sold him fake passport. almrei says later asked find second passport him, refused.

after al-marabh arrested trying illegally enter united states hiding in tractor trailer, almrei visited him in thorold prison, , collected money colleagues loan him c$2,500 bail. royal canadian mounted police investigated almrei s procurement of false passport, opted not press charges.

he granted refugee status in june 2000, stating feared persecution in syria due father s alleged membership in muslim brotherhood.

almrei s eat pita restaurant in toronto.

in january 2000, almrei purchased middle eastern eatery named eat-a-pita c$22,000. 1 of employees working under table due visa restrictions, asked almrei if knew men might enter marriage of convenience if offered them c$4,000 allow remain in country. knowing ishak, whom d met year earlier @ mosque, in need of money, almrei informed him of proposal, , pair had civil marriage @ city hall formal islamic marriage @ mosque, , almrei served witness both marriages. almrei drafted fake reference letter restaurant indicate ishak employee, support case sponsoring new wife become canadian. on september 13, 2000, almrei s residence searched , forged passport discovered. ishak stopped in detroit while flying canada on january 14, 2001 , charged carrying bundles of fake identification , crimping machine. ishak returned bosnia, withdrawing sponsorship of almrei s former cashier. feeling responsible, almrei paid c$4,000 ishak had taken, out of own pocket in october 2001, when learned ishak convicted of scamming prospective emigrants in bosnia.

friends spoke of almrei having poor financial sense, , had borrow money. in august 2000, almrei sold restaurant $18,500. reported becoming depressed , being unemployed while, until friend had travel overseas due father s death, , asked almrei if run business several months. paid used van, , used find work making restaurant deliveries throughout city, earning $800–1000 monthly. cell phone cut off due lapsed payments, , drove uninsured because not afford payments.