A bail hearing has been set for next Wednesday for a Canadian man suspected of supporting a deadly terrorist group in Iraq. The lawyer for Faruq Khalil Muhammad Isa, 38, also known to Canadian authorities as Sayfildin Tahir Sharif, says they plan to apply for bail.
The 38-year-old appeared briefly in court Thursday in Edmonton where the bail hearing date was set.
"A person is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Our bail laws is that a person should be released until the trial is held," said Bob Aloneissi, the Edmonton lawyer representing the accused.
Sharif was arrested last week in Edmonton at the request of the FBI.
"Our members simply arrived at this individual's residence and placed him under arrest. There was no incident, no issue and no danger to anybody else," Sgt. Patrick Webb with the RCMP told CTV News last week.
Aloneissi has previously said they will fight extradition to the U.S. and the extradition process could take months.
Aloneissi says they are still trying to understand the charges against Sharif and hope to get more information about the case from the Federal Crown on Friday.
The Iraqi-born man lives in north Edmonton, is married and has children. He is a Canadian citizen and his lawyer says he has been working for a construction company applying stucco.
He is charged in the U.S. for allegedly supporting a terrorist group that took part in a suicide bombing in Iraq that killed five American soldiers in April 2009.
The attack happened at a U.S. military base Marez in Mosul, Iraq.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the 38-year-old was charged based on evidence gathered in Canadian court-authorized wiretaps and search warrants.
He faces a life sentence if convicted.
None of the charges have been proven in court.
