Interpol has posted a warrant for the immediate arrest of Salman Hossain — an anti-Semitic former resident of Toronto who promotes genocide against the Jews on the internet.
“This is how the evil Yahud (Jews) and their helpers and slaves need to be executed when caught and punished worldwide,” is just one of his social media missives. “Daesh have you forgotten your duties to target Israel and important Jews yet?” (ISIS is also known as “Daesh.”)
He frequently advocated for the “extermination” of the Jews.
Hossain might be a fugitive but he is not exactly on the run, the National Post reports.
You can find him enjoying the good life in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, enjoying a luxurious lifestyle at the best hotels that most people in this poor third-world country can only dream about. He was sighted on Sunday at the five-star Lakeshore Banani hotel in the outlying areas of Dhaka.
But he is not that hard to find.
On Sunday, a photographer caught the 32-year-old former Toronto resident outside a coffee franchise in the Gulshan district of the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka. He arrived in a silver Toyota Corolla with Bangladeshi licence plates.
According to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), “that individual is still wanted.” The OPP initiated the investigation that charged Hossain with inciting genocide — the first time the offense was ever levied in Canada.
That was seven years ago — when the OPP said it do “everything in our power to bring him to justice.” But Hossain has evaded an arrest that could see him convicted on seven charges and imprisoned for up to 16 years. Up until now, everything in their power has been alerting Interpol about Hossain’s fugitive status.
They have apparently not notified the government of Bangladesh; a senior diplomat told the National Post, “We are not aware of the issue. If someone is wanted in a foreign country, our government needs to know.”
The official, who asked for anonymity, continued, “I can assure you that the present government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is against any kind of extremism, terrorism and transnational crime.”
Ask Canada’s foreign affairs department what they are doing to arrest Hossain and the spokesperson will refer you to the RCMP. Canada’s national police force will confirm that Interpol knows Hossain is wanted.
“However each member country decides for itself what legal value to give a red notice within their borders and therefore the ability to arrest and extradite a subject in a given country is not a guarantee,” said RCMP spokesman Sgt. Harold Pfleiderer.
That excuse doesn’t cut it for Simon Koffler Fogel, the CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs. “We are surprised and concerned that he has not yet been apprehended and turned over to Canadian authorities, particularly since his general whereabouts is known and he continues to call for the death of Jews,” said Fogel.
The former commissioner of the OPP who approved the charges against Hossain was a cabinet minister in the previous Conservative government. Julian Fantino says, “I recall that it took a very long time for the Attorney General of the day to give the OPP permission to proceed with those charges.”
He told the Post that the Canadian government should “give immediate priority” to Hossain’s arrest, Fantino added. “The charges against him are extremely serious. I am extremely disappointed that to date Hossain has not been brought to justice.”