Delays after delays. Why the trial for Syrian refugee accused of murdering 13-year-old Canadian teen has barely begun

After nearly six years, and at least six pre-trial delays, the Syrian refugee accused of killing a 13-year-old Canadian child in B.C. finally began trial on Wednesday April 5. Well, sort of.

Week 2 for the Ibrahim Ali murder trial is about to begin in the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

Ali, is accused of murdering a 13 year old B.C. teen shortly after arriving to Canada as a Syrian Refugee.

I will be live tweeting today’s proceedings for @RebelNewsOnline pic.twitter.com/JhtROwfQZn

— Drea Humphrey - Prepping and Politics (@DreaHumphrey) April 11, 2023

Journalists, friends, and family of the victim were expecting to hear opening remarks from Crown prosecutor Daniel Port and defense attorney Kevin McCullogh at the start of the trial. In reality, it’s been two weeks after the proceedings began and such opening statements have yet to happen.

Aside from witnessing the accused, Ibrahim Ali’s, non-guilty plea coupled with his out of turn repeated statements in court claiming to have not killed the teen, and getting a caution from presiding Justice L. Bernard about racism and not to judge Ali based on “being a Muslim and descendant of the Middle East,” the jury has been dismissed early or not called in on multiple occasions.

Due to a publication ban, the reasons for the in-trial delays can’t be elaborated upon. Additionally, Justice Bernard has also ordered a mandatory publication ban which prevents media from publishing the victim’s image or name.

Ibrahim Ali was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in 2018, 14 months after the teen's body was discovered in a park in BC’s lower mainland. After the arrest, many members of the public raised concerns about Ali’s background — but not because of his race or religion.

Instead, many wanted to know whether the influx of Syrian refugees that were entering Canada under the Trudeau government were being properly vetted.

In 2015, the Trudeau government promised Canadians that no single, military-aged men would be accepted into Canada through his Syrian refugee resettlement plan. Yet here was Ali, the accused, who was of that age, had no wife and kids, and had settled into Canada just a few months before being charged with the murder.

Rebel News reporter Drea Humphrey has been in the Supreme Court of B.C. to bring you reports on this case and will continue to do so. The trial was originally expected to run until June but with so many delays to date it is unclear when this trial will come to its end.

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