The man called himself "Abu Huzayfah" and claims to have been part of the Islamic State's religious police in Syria.

A hoax, if it is proven, which could have serious repercussions for this Canadian citizen.

A Canadian who claimed to have joined the jihadist group Islamic State and participated in terrorist acts has been arrested and accused of having invented this story, federal police announced on Saturday.

The charges against Shehroze Chaudhry stem from numerous statements to the media, in which the 25-year-old "claimed to have traveled to Syria in 2016 to join the terrorist group ISIS (the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) and commit terrorist acts, "said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in a press release.

Mr. Chaudhry, who lives in Burlington, in the province of Ontario, has been charged, "following a lengthy investigation", "of incitement to fear terrorist activity" and will appear in court on November 16, he said. the RCMP.

"Hoaxes can create a sense of fear among the public and give the illusion that there is a potential threat to Canadians when there is not. Therefore, the RCMP takes these allegations very seriously. serious, "said Superintendent Christopher deGale, head of the RCMP's Integrated National Security Team.

Human and financial resources diverted for a hoax

He added that this further diverted human and financial resources from "other priorities".

Sherhoze Chaudhry, who used the alias "Abu Huzayfah", had told several media since 2016 to have been part of the religious police of the group ISIS in Syria, and had notably been a protagonist of the podcast "Calliphate" of the New York Times, according to Global News.

In 2018, during a question-and-answer session in the House of Commons, the Conservative opposition was surprised at the presence in the Toronto area of ​​a man who claimed to have committed terrorist acts and called for his arrest.

The RCMP's integrated national security team is tasked with investigating persons "who have left the country for the purpose of contributing to the activities of a terrorist group or who have returned to Canada after participating in the activities of a terrorist group. 'a terrorist group'.