“What I can say is that the phenomenon of young Canadians joining violent organizations overseas is very real. These groups — Al‑Shabab and al-Qaeda among them — offer young people a misguided sense of purpose and belonging, and maybe even an ill-conceived promise of adventure in a foreign land — but too often it gets them killed.Mr. Plotnikov, who was carrying a Canadian passport, had boxed for the European Boxing Club in Ontario and became a Canadian citizen in 2008. He later studied at Seneca College in Toronto but returned to Russia in 2010.
Canadians killed in overseas counter-terrorism operations include: Abdul Rahman Jabarah, killed in Saudi Arabia; al-Qaeda figure Ahmed Khadr, killed in Pakistan; and Mohammed Elmi Ibrahim, who left Canada to join the al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabab in Somalia.