Ibrahim Alahmad, accused of kidnapping and murder, enters not guilty pleas in St. John's court
CBC
A St. John's man accused of kidnapping and murdering a woman in March has entered not guilty pleas, with a trial scheduled for next spring at the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Ibrahim Alahmad, 36, appeared before Chief Justice Raymond Whalen on Monday morning, wearing a white t-shirt featuring a caricature of a human skeleton carrying a rose on the front. His hands were free, but he was wearing leg restraints.
It was his Alahmad's first in-person appearance since he was arrested on March 5 and charged with the kidnapping and murder of a woman. In previous appearances at provincial court, Alahmad appeared via videoconferencing from either a hospital room or Her Majesty's Penitentiary.
The victim's name cannot be released because of a sweeping publication ban that also includes a long list of witnesses, including the woman's children.
Crown prosecutor Kellie Cullihal and defence lawyer Jason Edwards were both agreeable to the publication ban.
Speaking through an Arabic interpreter, Alahmad calmly entered not guilty pleas to first-degree murder and kidnapping.
Jury selection will begin on May 5, 2025.
Alahmad, who remains in custody, glanced briefly over his shoulder into the public gallery as he was led away from the courtroom by sheriff's officers.
It's the latest step in a case that shocked the province, especially the city's growing Syrian community.
The woman's body was discovered on March 5 at an abandoned house in Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove. Alahmad was arrested later that day, and was hospitalized with undisclosed injuries.
Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page.
The lawyer for a man accused of drugging and raping seven women wants a Calgary judge to call off the trial due to his client's inability to speak, the result of a stroke last spring.
Local politicians and waterfront users say the province's sewage plan for the redevelopment of Ontario Place could make a popular part of the waterfront a health risk for beachgoers, rowers and swimmers.
The P.E.I. government has halted plans to purchase more electric school buses due to the financial uncertainty surrounding Lion Electric, the company that manufactures most of the vehicles for the province.
A city councillor is suggesting the City of Calgary do an external review of how its operations and council decisions are being impacted by false information spread online and through other channels. Coun. Courtney Walcott said he plans to bring forward a motion to council, calling for its support for a review. He said he's not looking for real time fact checking but rather, a review that looks back at the role misinformation played on key issues. Walcott cited two instances in 2024 where factually incorrect information was circulated both online and at in-person meetings regarding major city projects: council's decision to upzone much of the city, and the failed redevelopment proposal for Glenmore Landing. "Looking back on previous years, looking back on major events and finding out how pervasive misinformation and bad information is out there and it's influence on all levels of the public discourse is really important," said Walcott.
Quebec's public security minister said Tuesday the province was sending more officers to the U.S. to help fight organized crime near the border.
Ontario officials estimate that U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's proposed tariffs on Canadian goods could cost up to half a million jobs, Premier Doug Ford said Tuesday, as he called for stronger and more visible action from the federal government.
A 37-year-old man from York, P.E.I., who was reported missing in New Brunswick yesterday has been found dead, the New Brunswick RCMP said in a news release.
The number of Londoners seeking community housing is on the rise, according to the city's latest homelessness data.
The union representing mechanics and labourers at Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. says 99 per cent of its members have voted in favour of strike action.
Last spring, Caio De Naday Hornhardt believed his former landlord had done him wrong, with a same-day eviction.
Blair Davis says he was in the paddock of his West Lawrencetown, N.S., farm several years ago when he first heard a buzzing noise and looked up to see a drone hovering overhead.
It's January and that means residents of Miramichi are experiencing a now-annual round of anxious speculation: will the Centennial Bridge close completely this year?
Police say a man who was shot in a parking lot in Lévis on Saturday night was likely not the intended target.
A judge has dismissed comments a Manitoba woman made during her arrest about consuming alcohol before hitting her boyfriend with a school bus because her Charter rights were breached.
Two Saskatchewan families say they felt more like hostages than guests of a resort in Mexico when they got severely ill and were pressured by staff to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) in exchange for medical help.
Edmonton utilities company Epcor has dropped part of a fee charged to customers who opt out of the installation of new water meter reading devices.
Many, including B.C.'s premier, have called for a Team Canada approach to Donald Trump's tariff threat. But it seems some provinces are going it alone.