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A former Ottawa imam appeared in a video “promoting violent jihad” in Libya, according to a “Secret” Canadian intelligence report obtained by the National Post under the Access to Information Act.

Abdu Albasset Egwilla “urged an audience of Libyan Islamist fighters to take part in jihad,” said the declassified report by the government’s Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre.

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“Jihad today is simple and easily accessible, and does not require moving as in the past, as it was for Afghanistan and Iraq,” Mr. Egwilla said in the video, which was posted on YouTube last August.

The Libyan–Canadian’s comments came as armed Islamist groups were fighting for control of the country in the aftermath of the killing of longtime dictator Col. Muammar Gaddafi.

The report did not indicate whether Mr. Egwilla was aligned with any terrorist groups, although it said Ansar al Sharia and al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb “have called on Muslims to support the Islamist fighters.”

The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham has exploited the unrest in Libya, seizing some areas of the country. In a recent video, Libyan fighters loyal to ISIS beheaded kidnapped Egyptian Christians.

Mr. Egwilla did not respond to a request for comment.