Di spatc he s | M o st wan ted the 9/11 attacks. Samuel Huntington’s theory about clashing civilizations had an epic scope. The journey of Gadahn, now the first American wanted for treason since the aftermath of the Second World War, suggests the scale of this conflict is far more personal and private. Canadi an fu g i t i v e s Omid Tahvili
10. Adam Yahiye Gadahn (born Sept 1, 1978) The personal story of “Azzam the American” mirrors, in many ways, some of the broader themes of our millennial era. They include the search for some form of certainty in an age of cultural diversity that is bound to cause confusion; the asymmetrical struggle of the Muslim world (or corners thereof) against the perceived ills of western modernity as symbolized by the United States; and the powerful influence of the media. Born in Oregon as Adam Pearlman, Gadahn received a Christian home-school education on an isolated goat farm in California, from parents with religious roots in Christianity and Judaism, including Zionism. Outside his studies, Gadahn played baseball and death metal music, hardly unusual passions for a teenager. Yet he also complained about a spiritual emptiness, a condition that eventually lead him into the charge of Islamic fundamentalists, first in the United States, then in Pakistan, where his sympathies soon swung toward the Jihadist cause. Gadahn produced videos for Osama bin Laden — as a committed and competent comrade-in-arms whose familiarity with American culture and mass media allowed al-Qaeda to cater its appeals towards American audiences, appropriate accent included. He has called on Muslims to carry out attacks in Detroit, London and Paris. Incitement by Gadahn, the first American wanted for treason since the aftermath of the Second World War, continues. On June 4, 2011, he urged American Muslims to buy weapons at gun shows to carry out lone-wolf attacks. Speaking amid clips of bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, he also included logos of Exxon, Merrill Lynch and Bank of America as exemplary targets. And on Sept. 11, 2012, Gadahn appeared in a video to celebrate the 11th anniversary of 60
Born in Tehran, Tahvili’s criminal career began early in life and reached a climax in 2008 when he cracked Forbes’ list of the Top 10 Most Wanted Criminals for his illegal activities, which have ranged from mail fraud, wire fraud and telemarketing fraud to drugs. Tahvili — who apparently arrived in Canada in 1994 — is also known as the “Tony Soprano of Vancouver” for his leadership in the Iranian-Canadian mafia. On Nov. 15, 2007, Tahvili escaped from a British Columbia prison, where he had been in custody since July 2005 on an unrelated kidnapping and assault charge. Dressed as a janitor, he received help from prison guard Edwin Ticne, who was offered a $50,000 bribe. The guard subsequently received a prison sentence of three years and three months in 2008. According to B.C. Corrections, it was the first time in the history of the organization that a guard has been charged with helping an inmate escape. Tahvilin remains at large and may have fled to Germany or his native Iran. Maiwand Yar
A former student of mechanical engineering at the University of Manitoba, Maiwand Yar is currently wanted for participating in the activity of a terrorist group and conspiracy to participate in the activity of a terrorist group. This rather formal wording alludes to Yar ’s alleged involvement with the Taliban and al-Qaeda, groups with which he has apparently spent time. According to the RCMP, he and fellow Winnipegger, Ferid Ahmed Imam, left Canada for Pakistan in 2007. Ferid Ahmed Imam
Like his alleged Taliban comrade Maiwand Yar, Imam studied at the University
of Manitoba. Said to be a well-liked member of the community with no criminal record, Imam eventually left Canada in 2007 for Pakistan, where he trained would-be terrorists at a camp linked to al-Qaeda. According to the RCMP, he was last seen in the town of Miran Shah, Pakistan. He is not out, however, out of the public spotlight. Imam stands accused of training Adis Medunjanin, a would-be suicide bomber who was born in Bosnia and grew up in Queen’s, New York. He was recently sentenced to life for his role in the plot to stage suicide attacks in 2009 in the subways of New York. Salman An-noor Hossain
A former student at the University of Toronto in Mississauga, Hossain fled the country after Ontario Provincial Police charged him with two counts of advocating genocide and three counts of promoting hatred in 2010. Police believe he is hiding in Uganda or his native Bangladesh. The charges against him relate to a website that called for the mass execution of Canadian Jews. The site accused Israel’s Mossad of creating terrorist groups, such as the Toronto 18, in an attempt to discredit Muslims. Hossain is also alleged to have blogged that “he would cheer the death of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan.” Jean Judes Faucher
Known as “le Flo,” Faucher appears on Interpol’s list of fugitives for drugrelated and international crimes stemming from his long-time involvement with the Quebec Chapter of the Hell’s Angels. Police are looking for Faucher under the auspices of the SharQc (Stratégie Hells Angels Région Québec) Operation that aims to destabilize Quebec’s Hells Angels criminal actions. While RCMP and Quebec provincial police have been able to make some high-profile arrests over the course of the program, several of the higher-ranking chapter members remain at large. Wolfgang Depner is a doctoral candidate at the University of British ColumbiaOkanagan. Spring 2013 | APR-MAY-JUN