RCMP Role in Helping the FBI

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s (RCMP), the widely-renowned and respected federal and national police service of Canada, chose to collaborate with the FBI rather than protect their citizens. 4 days prior to the RCMP’s inquiry of Abdulrahman’s medical reports at CAMH, Abdulrahman stated to the informant online that he had been in rehab, possibly indicating the introduction of the RCMP’s collaboration with the FBI. They unlawfully obtained Abdulrahman’s medical records that described his mental health vulnerabilities and provided them to the FBI to better manipulate this damaged youth. They also took no action to prevent Abdulrahman from going to the United States.

5 days before Abdulrahman’s arrest in the United States, CAMH confirmed Abdulrahman’s medical records at the urgent request of the RCMP. The reason for the inquiry was as Const. Peter Simmons wrote in the May 2016 memo “The [RCMP] are conducting a high priority national security investigation involving a threat to public safety,” which suggests the RCMP’s knowledge of Abdulrahman’s situation. Rather than getting him the help he needed or confronting Abdulrahman’s parents, the RCMP opted to monitor Abdulrahman’s travel from Canada to the United States where he would eventually be arrested. Contradictory to its previous inquiry about Abdulrahman, the RCMP stated that at no time was the safety or security of the public at risk. A day after his arrest (May 22, 2016), a warrant was issued by the Ontario Court of Justice to authorities on reasonable grounds that a search might lead to evidence, which suggests that the RCMP knew of his plans to travel and was already in the process of requesting a warrant.

The RCMP issued a statement saying it collaborated with the FBI in the investigation that led to El Bahnasawy’s arrest. They also noted that at no time was the safety or security of the public at risk when Abdulrahman was to travel to the United States. The RCMP knew Abdulrahman suffered from mental illness and could have chosen to prevent him from traveling all together, inform his parents, and take any legal action in Canada. Instead, the RCMP merely monitored Abdulrahman’s travel to the United States where he would get arrested, influenced by his federal defender to plead guilty, and sentenced to 40 years in prison.