File Photo: Members of the Islamic State militant group.
Montreal:
Canadian police said Thursday they are looking to arrest a 22-year-old who had been believed dead a year after joining the Islamic State group in Syria.
Six charges were laid in absentia against Mohamed Shirdon, including joining a banned terror group, encouraging others to follow him to Syria and promoting terrorism.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police issued a nationwide warrant for his arrest and has asked Interpol for help returning him to Canada for prosecution.
Police said he left Canada on March 14, 2014.
"While there have been reports in 2014 indicating that Shirdon was killed in Syria, these reports were proven not to be true," the RCMP said.
Assistant Commissioner Marlin DeGrand said an investigation showed that "Shirdon served in a combat role and performed other functions for ISIS such as recruiting, fundraising, encouraging others to commit violence, and spreading propaganda."
This included making a video threatening Canada and the United States.
According to the most recent government estimates from 2014, as many as 130 Canadians have travelled abroad to join jihadist groups in recent years.
Several were reported killed in Syria, such as former Ottawa University student John Maguire, and four cousins from Calgary, Alberta.
Others were intercepted by authorities as they tried to board planes.