EDMONTON—The tenants of a north-side strip mall in Edmonton say they’ve been subjected to growing harassment, both online and through phone calls, after news surfaced of Omar Khadr’s recent purchase of the property.

The commercial strip is home to a variety of businesses, including an auto shop, a daycare, and a travel agency — all of which have been serving the community for several years. Most of the Google reviews on those businesses have been positive, until reports emerged on Monday of Khadr’s ownership.

“Don’t support this terrorist,” a Google review on Skyview International Travel and Tourism Inc.’s page reads. Bluesky Daycare, another long-standing business in the strip, has received several one-star reviews in the last two days. Yasmin Jamil, a manager at the daycare, said they received an angry phone call on Tuesday as well.

But longtime business owners in the commercial space said they have no connection to Khadr and pleaded for the harassment to stop. Alaeddin Alhussainy, who has owned and managed the Skyview travel agency for almost 10 years, said he only found out about the recent change of ownership from the media.

“We don’t know him,” Alhussainy said of Khadr, and added he has not met him. Alhussainy has rented the space since May 2010, and is currently under a lease agreement, he said.

The owner of Bluesky Daycare, who did not want to be named for fear of threats to them, said they knew of a change of ownership, but were not aware of the new owner and have not met Khadr either. They’ve owned the daycare for five years, and it has been operational out of the strip mall for almost 30 years in total.

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“I’m receiving these reviews, and they’re kind of scary,” the owner said of the influx of negative reviews the daycare is receiving online. “ ... It’s going to damage my whole business.”

“Safety is our first concern because we have children, we have staff, and when people talk to us, they deserve respect and we’d like to be respected,” they said.

Khadr’s ownership of the property was revealed after a document began surfacing Sunday on social media, showing that Khadr had purchased the property in November for $3 million. The document has been verified independently by Star Edmonton, and Khadr is listed as one of two owners of the property. Khadr and his lawyer declined interview requests from Star Edmonton.

Khadr, who was born in Canada, was formerly detained in Guantanamo Bay when he was 15 years old after he was caught and accused of throwing a grenade that killed an American soldier in Afghanistan in 2002. The federal government settled a lawsuit filed by him for a reported $10.5 million following a ruling in 2010 by Canada’s Supreme Court that Khadr’s charter rights were violated in Guantanamo. His case has since ignited divisive debate in Canada over issues surrounding terrorism and human rights.

Aside from the negative reviews, Alhussainy said his business’ page is also getting flagged on Facebook under “criminal.” He has also received several phone calls since Monday. “I don’t think anyone wants to give money to a terrorist,” a voice message left on Alhussainy’s phone said. Others, he added, were even harsher in tone, with some calling for a boycott of his business.

“I’m a peaceful man,” Alhussainy said. “ … Why would you boycott us?”

Threats have also been uttered to Khadr’s personal address on social media after news of his ownership of the strip mall surfaced. Carolin Maran, a spokesperson for the Edmonton Police Service (EPS), said law enforcement is aware of these threats.

“Uttering threats is a criminal offence that the EPS takes seriously,” Maran said.

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Maran added that at this time, EPS is not aware of any reports related to threats against a strip mall in the area.

Not all comments and reviews online have been negative. The strip mall businesses have also been receiving five-star reviews and comments defending the owners from the community, who are urging the barrage of negative reviews to stop.

“This owner is trying to feed his family and you guys are taking the food off his family’s plate,” one review on Alhussainy’s travel agency said. “You are targeting an innocent business,” another read.

Nadine Yousif is a reporter/photographer for Star Edmonton. Follow her on twitter: @nadineyousif_

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