Ahmad El-Maati
Ahmad Abou El-Maati | |
|---|---|
أحمد أبو المعاطي | |
| Born | October 1, 1964 Kuwait |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Alma mater | Concordia University |
| Occupation | Truck driver |
| Employer(s) | Leger Trucking, Motion Supply, Highland Transport (former) |
| Known for | Wrongful imprisonment and torture in Syria and Egypt |
| Criminal charges | Wrongly suspected of terrorism |
| Criminal status | Detained (wrongfully) |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Amer el-Maati (brother) |
Ahmad Abou El-Maati (Arabic: أحمد أبو المعاطي) (born October 1, 1964) is a Canadian citizen who was arrested, tortured, and detained for two and a half years in Syrian and Egyptian prisons, as a result of deficient information sharing by Canadian law enforcement officials. The Canadian government apologized to Mr. El-maati in 2017, after reaching a monetary settlement with him and two other torture victims, putting an end to nearly 10 years of litigation.
His ordeal began when he was found with a visitor's map to Ottawa and had plans to travel to Syria to get married. This evidence, as well as the post-September 11 fear, led Canadian law enforcement officials to wrongly suspect him of terrorism.
He is the brother of suspected Al-Qaeda member Amer el-Maati.