Abousfian Abdelrazik

The family of a Montreal man stranded in Sudan for five years because Canada's spy agency suspects he's a security threat denied that he's a terrorist as they made a public plea to the government Tuesday to help bring him home.

"My son is five right now. He doesn't understand much of the situation, but I'm asking [Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime] Bernier, how am I supposed to answer him when he grows up and [asks] me 'why wasn't my dad able to be next to me when I was a child?'" Abousfian Abdelrazik's former wife, Myriam St-Hilaire, told reporters in a news conference. "Mr. Bernier, what am I supposed to answer him?

"Please, the government of Canada — do something, We want Abousfian Abdelrazik back in Canada."

Abdelrazik, who was detained by Sudanese authorities while visiting his mother in 2003, has since been released from jail and has taken refuge in the Canadian Embassy in Khartoum. Abdelrazik, who is a dual citizen of Canada and Sudan, hasn't been charged with any crime in either country.

His lawyer, Yavar Hameed, said his client has been deemed a security threat over Canadian Security Intelligence Service suspicions that he's an al-Qaeda agent, something he denies. CSIS documents suggest agents asked the Sudanese government to arrest Abdelrazik, Hameed said.

"The question that comes up over and over again is, 'Is he a terrorist?'" his ex-wife said. "I'll just answer plain and simple. He is not a terrorist. He is a Muslim. He's a practising Muslim but a peaceful Muslim, and we just wish him to reunite with his family, with his children."

Lawyer wants passport for client

Hameed said Ottawa has been putting up roadblocks to thwart Abdelrazik's attempts to return to Canada, adding that Canada has ignored Sudan's offers to fly him back to Canada on its own airline.

Hameed said Ottawa could also immediately issue Abdelrazik an emergency passport — his previous one having expired — and send him back to the country on their own government aircraft, but that the process has become convoluted.

Hameed added that the government has done nothing to try to get Abdelrazik off commercial airlines' no-fly list by pressing the case that his client has never been charged with an offence.

He said that while Foreign Affairs has said it's been doing everything it can to bring Abdelrazik back, that's clearly not the case.

"The government has been suppressing information, been giving misinformation, has not been telling us what's going on."

Foreign Affairs has refused to comment on the case, citing privacy concerns.