Farah Mohammed Shirdon of Calgary, Canada, has reportedly been identified as having died fighting in the ranks of the extremist Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) terrorist group in Iraq, where it has been committing brutal atrocities.
Shirdon, whose family originally is from Somalia, appeared in an IS video months ago in April, in which he tore up his Canadian passport and threatened terror attacks on Canada and the US.
The Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs has said it is following the reports of a Canadian, namely Shirdon, being killed in Iraq, reports CBC News.
Likewise Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird said he could not speak about the facts of the case yet, noting "it's a sad reality that, from time to time, a small number of Canadians - radicalized - participate in these type of activities."
Shirdon studied at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology until at least 2012, and hailed from a prominent Somali family. His uncle, Abdi Farah Shirdon, was a former prime minister of Somalia who survived numerous assassination attempts by Al-Shabab terrorists linked to Al-Qaeda.
The news of Shirdon's death serves as a wake-up call to the homegrown terror sprouting from Calgary.
Speaking about the city, Imam Syed Soharwardy, head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada, said "it’s obvious these people are getting radicalized in this country and this city - the government must do more about it because our community doesn’t have the resources."
Nathaniel Little, once a close friend of Shirdon, told the Calgary Sun that in high school he was "a great guy" and not overly religious. Two years ago "he cut everyone off" after he started selling drugs, reports Little.
Canadian Security Intelligence Services (CSIS) Director Michel Coulombe last February said around 130 Canadian citizens had traveled abroad to join terror groups in the Middle East and Africa, adding that as many as 80 returned jihadists were being monitored.