The man who ordered an arson attack which killed two young children in Calgary is free, less than a year after being denied both day and full parole.
Abdul Aziz Ellahib’s statutory release date was Jan. 5.
Ellahib, 52, was serving a 20-year sentence for manslaughter and arson. He ordered two men to firebomb a townhouse in November 2004 because of disparaging comments made about his wife.
The fire spread through the house, killing Saja and Ali Al-Mayahi, while their mother was hurt jumping from the second storey of their Applewood home.
Ellahib has argued he only paid the two men to assault the children’s father, who wasn’t home at the time, and he had no knowledge of the fire.
Before his release, the Parole Board of Canada ordered several conditions onto Ellahib’s release, including avoiding people in the criminal world, avoiding contact with the victims and their families and he must live in a community correctional centre or halfway house. He was also ordered to report any intimate relationships and avoid sex trade workers.
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The board established several concerns in its decision to put conditions on his release.
“The board concluded that while you may have completed all required core programming, you continue to demonstrate a lack of insight into your offending, a lack of understanding of your risk factors and the refusal to accept responsibility for the index offence where two innocent lives died as a result,” the decision, obtained by Global News, read.
“The board remains concerned about your violent history and that there has been no notable gain reported in this area,” it continued.
The board also spoke of the pain caused to the family.
“The mother of the two children – both victims of your index offence – spoke about the ongoing psychological and physical pain she and her family endured as a result of your offending,” the board said.
The conditions surrounding Ellahib’s relationships and not being in the company of sex trade workers were put in place because of a 1990 conviction for sexual assault with a weapon, forcible confinement and robbery.
“You picked up a prostitute, negotiated a fee, and then forced sexual acts at gunpoint,” the board said. “She tried but was unable to escape.”
The board also outlined several charges that were stayed or that he was acquitted of.
Ellahib will have to live under those conditions until his sentence officially ends in November 2023.
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