Man convicted of trying to join ISIS allowed to visit Alberta ski resort

An Ottawa man who was convicted of attempting to become a combatant on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) was granted overnight privileges to visit a ski resort with his girlfriend, Global News reports.

Carlos Larmond, 29, was granted the right to visit the resort by the Parole Board of Canada despite his sentencing requirement to spend nights at a halfway house. The Parole Board ordered Larmond be moved to a halfway house less than a year ago on the grounds that he posed an “undue risk to society.”

According to the Parole Board, Larmond “developed a new relationship” with a woman he intended on marrying. “You have indicated a desire to spend more time with her on her next visit, and also to perhaps do some skiing in the mountains this winter. That would mean you would have to travel by bus, and therefore, spend overnight at the ski resort,” the board told Larmond.

Larmond was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2016 for his attempt to fly to Syria to commit acts of terrorism. The sentence, however, was reduced by two years and five and a half months due to the length of time it took to bring him to trial and convict him. While in jail, Larmond was tried and convicted for threatening lethal force against guards and fellow inmates, as well as for secretly communicating with his brother, who was also convicted on terrorism-related charges.

In a separate Parole Board decision, it was revealed that Larmond was once moved to a Special Handling Unit after being caught "attempting to radicalize other offenders."

Nevertheless, the Parole Board claimed of Larmond that there was “no indication in [his] file that this kind of terrorist behavior has continued,” and that he has "developed a positive relationship, and [he is] requesting a chance to further demonstrate credibility to the Board.”

While the ski resort in question was not directly mentioned in the Parole Board's decision, the document was released by the Parole Board office in Edmonton, indicating that Larmond was likely heading to the Rocky Mountains. Ski hills in places such as Banff have opened for the winter with health and safety protocols in place.

The move was criticized by Conservative Party Leader Erin O'Toole. “At a time when businesses are being shuttered by COVID and Trudeau is urging provinces not to reopen, terrorists are being let out of jail to go to ski resorts,” O'Toole charged.

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair refused to directly comment on the story, but said that the “Parole Board is independent, and their decisions are not subject to political direction" and that “Canadians can be assured that our agencies work tirelessly to keep them safe.”