Abdul Aziz Kawam received a total sentence of 16 years and eight months after a knife attack on a Surrey bus in April 2023.
The Story
Abdul Aziz Kawam was sentenced on Thursday in the Supreme Court of British Columbia for an April 2023 knife attack on a bus in Surrey, according to the court proceedings reported with the sentence.
The court convicted Kawam of attempting to commit murder for the benefit of, or in association with, a terrorist group, and of assault with a weapon for the benefit of, or in association with, a terrorist group, with the convictions dated June 30, 2025.
According to the description of events, on April 1, 2023, Kawam approached a man at a bus stop, threatened him and chased him with a knife. The man escaped without harm, but Kawam then boarded a Coast Mountain transit bus and stabbed another person.
The reporting says Kawam was taken off the bus and stated that he pledged allegiance to Abu Al-Hussaini Al-Quraishi, described as the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) at the time.
The court sentenced Kawam to 15 years for attempted murder and 20 months for aggravated assault. The two sentences were ordered to be served consecutively for a total of 16 years and eight months.
George Dolhai, director of public prosecutions, is quoted as saying the slashing was a deliberate attack intended to cause “suspicion and fear” in public spaces, and that although the responsible individual claimed to act on behalf of ISIS, the assault was “an attack on all Canadians, including Canadian Muslims.”
← More stories