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At the time, the Toronto Police Service was investigating after Kadir and an alleged associate, Samuel Aviles, suddenly flew to Turkey, where they were both arrested about 200 kilometres from the Syrian border.

The charges against Uddin were relatively minor: he faced two counts stemming from his handling of what police described as a “Windham Weaponry AR-15 assault-type rifle” between March 24 and April 28.

But during the proceedings at Toronto’s College Park courthouse, prosecutors disclosed that the rifle was actually owned by Uddin’s son Kadir, who is one of a handful of Canadians arrested on ISIL-related terrorism peace bonds.

In addition, it emerged in court that Uddin was also the father of Malik Abdul, a member of a Toronto extremist network who left Canada two years ago to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and is believed to have since died in Syria.

The firearms case has raised questions about why Kadir owned an AR-15 and how he was able to obtain a permit to purchase it. Asked outside the courtroom Wednesday why he had owned a restricted rifle, Kadir did not respond.

Toronto police have also declined to comment. The RCMP said firearms owners were subjected to “continuous eligibility screening,” but would not comment on how Kadir was able to obtain a firearms licence.

AR-15-type rifles are restricted in Canada, meaning they can only be used for limited purposes including target practice and competition at approved shooting clubs. They can also be kept as part of a collection and sometimes for work-related uses, according to the RCMP.