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“He was a nerd and we hung out in a circle of nerds,” said Mr. Little. “He was extremely funny. … That’s what drew people to him was his sense of humour.”

The two worked part-time jobs at Orange Julius and Mr. Shirdon also worked at the local movie theatre. He was a hard worker who didn’t particularly like school but studied hard to please his family.

He was religious but “would never press his beliefs on anyone,” said Mr. Little.

While Mr. Shirdon was a “very confident” young man, he also had a temper and was desperate to fit in, his friend said.

“[He] never threw fists or anything … but when he was angry he’d make fun of people. He’d belittle them,” said Mr. Little.

In Grade 12, while attending Henry Wise Wood Senior High School, the friends drifted apart.

Mr. Shirdon started partying and selling marijuana. He deleted most of his Facebook friends, except Muslim ones.

“I saw his morals slowly start to decline,” said Mr. Little.

The last time Mr. Little saw Mr. Shirdon was May 2012.

In the April ISIS video, Mr. Shirdon wears glasses and can be seen tearing up and burning his passport. He threatens Canadians and Americans.

“This is a message to Canada and all the American tyrants: We are coming and we will destroy you, with permission from Allah the almighty,” he said mostly in English. “I left comfort for one reason alone. For Allah.”

Mr. Little said he didn’t recognize his friend in the video.

“It clearly wasn’t him anymore,” he said. When he learned of his death, Mr. Little tweeted: “The guy I knew was already dead inside, it’s still very disheartening to hear the news about my former friend. R.I.P. Farah Shirdon”