Rudwan Khalil Abubaker (1978–2004)CBC News, December 13, 2004 was a Canadian independent film actor and amateur model from Vancouver, British Columbia, who was killed by Russian security forces in Chechnya on October 7, 2004.MacLeon, Ian. Ottawa Citizen, "The warning lights were all blinking red ", February 23, 2008
His family came to Canada from Eritrea as refugees with their four children.Freeze, Colin, The Globe and Mail, "Canadians' ties with Chechen insurgents probed", October 16, 2004 Abubaker was accepted into Vancouver Community College to study information technology. A member of the Dar al-Madinah Islamic Society Mosque in Vancouver, He was a "gentle" man who loved soccer and hip hop music.CBC, "Abubaker's mosque preached hatred of Jews, October 22, 2004 He had just finished the Hajj and visiting relatives in Dubai and was headed to a wedding in Azerbaijan with his friend Kamal Elbahja.
While in Dubai, Abubaker phoned his family to tell them that he was considering staying in the region to open a hip-hop storefront, and that Elbahja was going to head off to Russia.
Abubaker's body was identified by his driver's license and Canadian passport,CTV News, B.C. police investigating mosque leader, October 24, 2004 which showed that he had been to London and Amsterdam.CBC, "Vancouver man reportedly killed in Chechnya", October 8, 2004 When his family asked for his body, Russia refused stating that it had been buried where he fell.CBC, Family of Rudwan Abubaker says he wasn't bomb-making rebel, December 13, 2004 Russia claims he was an explosives expert. His family was represented by lawyer Phil Rankin, who had earlier defended Essam Marzouk during his application for refugee status.
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