Abdelrazik begins journey back to Canada
Last Updated: Saturday, June 27, 2009 | 4:26 PM ET
CBC News
Abousfian Abdelrazik, seen in this undated family photo, had been living at the Canadian Embassy in Khartoum for a year. (Graham Hughes/Canadian Press)Montrealer Abousfian Abdelrazik, who has been stranded in Sudan for six years after being labelled an al-Qaeda suspect, has boarded a plane bound for Canada, his Ottawa lawyer said Friday.
Abdelrazik, 47, was arrested and detained while visiting his mother in Sudan in 2003, and for the last year had been living at the Canadian Embassy in Khartoum.
His lawyer, Audrey Brousseau, told CBC News that Abdelrazik boarded a flight from Khartoum to Abu Dhabi early Friday, and was scheduled to land in Toronto on Saturday afternoon at 4:40 p.m. ET.
He plans to speak to the media in Toronto before heading to Montreal, Brousseau said.
Earlier this month, Federal Court Justice Russell Zinn ordered the Canadian government to fly Abdelrazik home early next month and provide those travel plans by Friday.
Justice Minister Rob Nicholson announced last week that the government would not appeal the decision, opening the door for Abdelrazik's return.
Both the RCMP and Canadian Security Intelligence Service have cleared Abdelrazik of any terrorist connections. But the Conservative government had refused to issue him travel documents to return home because his name was on a UN Security Council list banning travel for terrorist suspects.
His lawyers successfully argued the government violated his right to mobility under Sec. 6 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Share Tools
Top News Headlines
- Everest team unable to bring down Toronto woman's body
- Bad weather has hampered the recovery team that is attempting to bring down the body of a Toronto woman who died trying to climb Mt. Everest. more »
- Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges

- The estranged partner of a young mother who was stabbed to death along with her parents at their home in Aylmer, Que., has been charged with first-degree murder Friday. more »
- Attack on Syrian villages deadliest yet, activists say
- More than 90 people have been killed by regime forces in a district of central Syria, with the head of the UN team in the country confirming more than 32 children and 60 adults were killed the attack. more »
- The risks and responsibilities of taking on Mt. Everest

- The deaths of six climbers last weekend on Mt. Everest, with more summits underway this weekend, fuels the debate about the risks and responsibilities of high altitude climbing. more »
Latest World News Headlines
- Attack on Syrian villages deadliest yet, activists say
- More than 90 people have been killed by regime forces in a district of central Syria, with the head of the UN team in the country confirming more than 32 children and 60 adults were killed the attack. more »
- No. 3 in Egypt election demands recount
- A spokesman for the third-place finisher in Egypt's presidential race has called for a partial vote recount, citing violations. more »
- 3rd most-wanted Nazi war criminal dies in Germany
- Klaas Carel Faber, a Dutch native who fled to Germany after being convicted in the Netherlands of Nazi war crimes and subsequently lived in freedom despite several attempts to try or extradite him, has died. He was 90. more »
- Everest team unable to bring down Toronto woman's body
- Bad weather has hampered the recovery team that is attempting to bring down the body of a Toronto woman who died trying to climb Mt. Everest. more »
Dispatches »
- Foreign slaves serving the U.S. military machine May. 24, 2012 3:33 PM How does a hairdresser recruited for work in Dubai, wind up slaving for the U.S. military in a war zone in Iraq? There are tens of thousands serving in what's come to be known as America's "Invisible Army."
Connect Newsroom Blog
Etan Patz, Brian Banks & 50 Shades of Grey May. 25, 2012 8:56 PM On his first full day of his new life, former football star Brian Banks joins us live.
- Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges
- Pope's butler arrested in Vatican leaks scandal
- B.C. premier unhappy with disgraced Mountie's transfer
- Everest team unable to bring down Toronto woman's body
- Everest victim's husband says family not seeking government help
- Tornado touchdown confirmed near Montreal
- The risks and responsibilities of taking on Mt. Everest
- Ottawa man in hospital after lightning strike
- Canada ending 'Buffalo shuffle' for visas, closing consulate

