Man Sentenced to Nearly 17 Years for Islamic State-Inspired Bus Stabbing in Surrey, BC

A man convicted of two knife attacks in Surrey, B.C., motivated by his support for the Islamic State terrorist organization has been sentenced to nearly 17 years in prison.

Abdul Aziz Kawam, 30, was sentenced in B.C. Supreme Court on Oct. 29 to 15 years for attempted murder and 20 months for aggravated assault. The sentences are consecutive, bringing the total to 16 years and eight months.

With credit for time spent in custody since April 2023, Kawam has just over 11 years left to serve.

The court heard that Kawam approached a man at a Surrey bus stop on April 1, 2023, and asked whether he was Muslim. After the man said no, Kawam prayed briefly before attempting to slash his neck with a large knife. The victim escaped, but about 15 minutes later, Kawam attacked another passenger aboard a bus, slashing at his neck three times and seriously injuring him.

Kawam’s attack was intended to “cause suspicion and fear” among citizens in public spaces, George Dolhai, director of public prosecutions, said in a media statement.

Dolhai said Kawam’s actions “were an attack on all Canadians, including Canadian Muslims” and described the Islamic State as “an ideological-political organization.”

No Direct Orders

In a June 30, 2025, decision, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Miriam Gropper found that Kawam had committed the attacks “for the benefit of, at the direction of, and in association with the Islamic State.”

“There does not appear to be any other plausible motive,” she wrote.

Gropper said there was no evidence that Islamic State leaders had directly ordered Kawam to carry out the attacks, but concluded that his actions were consistent with the organization’s encouragement of violence by its followers.

The court also heard that investigators found thousands of Telegram messages on Kawam’s cellphone, along with Islamic State propaganda that he had regularly downloaded and viewed in the year before the attacks. He belonged to several online groups that shared the organization’s material and occasionally posted comments supporting its views.

Ten days before the attacks, Kawam recorded a nearly three-minute video pledging allegiance to the Islamic State’s leader. He also communicated with another person about deleting Telegram messages in anticipation of an upcoming operation.

The Canadian Press contributed to this article.