RIYADH, 17 December 2002 — The Orangeville police in Canada are caught in a dilemma over the trial of the international con man, Mohammed Mustafa Agbareia, who has allegedly embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars by impersonating Saudi officials and Muslim personalities worldwide.
The police are not sure if the case is to be dealt as a local event within the confines of Canadian criminal law or an international crime as complaints against the 37-year-old Israeli national have been pouring in from several foreign countries.
Inspector Wayne Davis, investigating officer of the Orangeville police, said his office received hundreds of complaints from victims in the United States, New Zealand and a number of European and Middle Eastern countries against the man.
The Council on Arab-Islamic Relations announced last week “a suspected con artist who preyed on Muslim communities worldwide for more than a decade has been apprehended by Canadian police. In cooperation with Canadian authorities, CAIR is also calling on those who were defrauded to present evidence to local police, who will in turn offer that evidence to their Canadian counterparts.”
Davis conveyed the sympathy of the authorities to the victims of the suspected con man in a letter to Arab News.
The inspector also said his department will focus on determining the number of crimes committed by the suspect, though the local police can take action only within the jurisdiction of the Canadian law.
“The legal procedures against Agbareia will be governed by the local law though the police will strive to examine the complaints from other agencies looking for him,” he said.
The police are currently investigating 14 counts of charges against the man.
The US-based Islamic organization had over the years issued several alerts to Muslims about the con artist after receiving many complaints from those who had been defrauded, according to a press release.
