Suspected ISIS attacker in Toronto lived in Egypt and attended American university

A 26-year-old Toronto man is accused of plotting a deadly ISIS-inspired attack. He previously lived in Egypt and once studied at an American university, CBC News has learned.

Mostafa Eldidi and his father, Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi, were arrested last month and charged with terrorism offences, with police saying they intended to carry out “a serious, violent attack in Toronto.”

On Thursday, Mostafa Eldidi’s attorney, Nate Jackson, made his first court appearance on his behalf, telling the court he would meet his new client in person at the prison on Friday.

“I look forward to vigorously defending Mostafa Eldidi’s innocence,” Jackson told CBC.

According to the RCMP, the 62-year-old Eldidi is a Canadian citizen, but his son is not.

Although little is known about Mostafa Eldidi’s past, his presence on social media has provided some clues as to his whereabouts in recent years.

He attended Iowa Wesleyan University, a now-defunct private liberal arts university affiliated with the United Methodist Church, in Mount Pleasant, Iowa.

“Our records do not indicate that he has received a degree,” the University of Iowa registrar’s office said in an email. The university has been processing transcript requests for Iowa Wesleyan since the school closed last year.

“[Mostafa Eldidi] studied at Iowa Wesleyan University in the spring of 2020. We have no other data or information beyond that.”

It’s unclear when he came to Canada, but a photo posted to Facebook in April 2021 shows Mostafa Eldidi with his distinctive long, curly hair standing in front of the detached house in east Toronto that is now listed as the family’s residence, according to court records.

A man who identified himself as Mostafa’s brother outside his home earlier this week declined to comment on the criminal case.

In June 2021, Mostafa Eldidi shared an image of the Canadian flag on his Facebook profile. “Fight for this flag until I die,” he wrote.

A Facebook friend who remembers bonding with Mostafa Eldidi through video games said that Mostafa lived in the Egyptian capital Cairo in his early 20s.

Representatives from both the Egyptian Embassy in Ottawa and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to emailed questions about whether Mostafa Eldidi and his father hold Egyptian citizenship.

Police suspect links to ISIS

CBC previously reported that both men had recorded a video in which they pledged allegiance to ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) while holding an axe and a machete in front of the extremist group’s flag, according to sources.

Court documents show Mostafa Eldidi is accused of possessing a machete “for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a terrorist group,” the self-proclaimed Islamic State. His father faces the same charge for allegedly possessing an axe.

“We’re pretty confident in how close they were to going from simply having those tools to carrying out that threat,” RCMP Supt. James Parr told reporters in July, days after the pair were arrested at a hotel in Richmond Hill, north of Toronto.

Both men are charged with conspiracy to commit murder and other terrorism-related charges.

The federal opposition has recently bombarded the government with questions about the Eldidis’ immigration status.

This week, MPs from all faiths agreed to investigate how the two men were able to enter the country, despite claims the father was involved in a violent attack abroad.

Ahmed Eldidi is also charged with aggravated assault. The attack was listed in court records as occurring outside Canada in June 2015. An ISIS propaganda video posted online the same month shows a man dressed in black using a sword to dismember a motionless victim in an orange jumpsuit.

MPs urge investigation into how terror suspects entered Canada

WARNING: Video contains descriptions of graphic violence | MPs voted unanimously to launch an investigation into how Ahmed and Mostafa Eldidi — a father and son team accused of plotting a terror attack in Toronto — entered Canada, especially in light of a graphic ISIS video allegedly linked to the father years earlier.

Government officials have not confirmed whether the elder Eldidi had come to Canada as early as 2015.

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security voted unanimously on Tuesday to investigate the Eldidi case and question the ministers of public safety and immigration and other senior security and intelligence officials.

In addition, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said this week that he is investigating whether the father’s citizenship should be revoked.

Father asks to see his son in prison

Mostafa Eldidi appeared in court in Newmarket, Ontario, via video link on Thursday, confirming his name and date of birth in English.

His father appeared later, speaking through an Arabic interpreter. Ahmed Eldidi said he had not yet hired a lawyer.

He made a request directly to the judge in English.

“May I see my son?” asked the elder Eldidi.

“No,” Justice of the Peace Linda DeBartolo replied. “The answer is ‘no.’ … There is a court order that you are not to communicate with your son in any way or with any person. Do you understand that?” she asked.

“Yes, I do,” he said.

Both suspects remain in custody pending a bail hearing.