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WARNING: This story contains details of intimate partner violence.
Police have identified the man who is believed to have killed his seven- and 12-year-old sons in his south Ottawa home and firebombed his dental practice in a nearby village before dying by suicide in a vehicle fire on Monday, as details of his threat to cause bodily harm to his ex-wife come to light.
CBC News had earlier learned that Mohammed Al-Lami, 40, was currently on active probation for threatening to cause bodily harm to his ex-wife, the mother of the boys, in 2024, according to Ottawa court records.
CBC has now obtained Ontario Court of Justice recordings of his short trial in February and the decision and sentence in April, in which the judge read excerpts from the emailed threat.
Ottawa police said in a news release late Thursday afternoon that they are supporting the boys’ mother “as she grieves this unimaginable loss,” and out of respect for her wishes and her family’s privacy, the names of her children will not be released.
The force “recognizes the community’s desire for answers” but forensic examinations and other investigative actions are ongoing, and further information will be provided when they’re done.
“Incidents like this affect us all, and we acknowledge the shock and heartbreak many are experiencing as we work to understand what happened. Please check in on one another. If you or someone you know is struggling, consider reaching out to family, friends, a trusted community member, local support organizations, or professional services in your area. You do not have to navigate this alone,” the release stated.
‘I will make you a worldwide story’
Justice Norman D. Boxall told court on April 10 that Al-Lami and his ex were married in 2012 and had two children together, then separated in 2017 and divorced in 2022.
His ex “was astonished to receive” an email from Al-Lami on Jan. 21, 2024, that contained “an explicit threat,” Boxall said. It took her a few days to process the email, and Boxall said she testified that she might not have reported it to police on her own, but her partner, who was also threatened, wanted her to.
“I will kill everyone around you and your pimp … in a very wild, savage way,” Al-Lami wrote in the email, which Boxall read from in court. Later in the email, Al-Lami wrote, “I won’t kill you. I will leave you alone, disabled in a wheelchair that you can’t move, even to visit your loved ones’ graves.”
“I’ll make you an example of the unfair justice system. I will make you a worldwide story,” the email continued in part. “… When you do something wrong to me, you pay for it.”
More to come.
If you or someone you know is struggling, here’s where to look for help:
If you’re worried someone you know may be at risk of suicide, you should talk to them about it, says the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention. Here are some warning signs:
- Suicidal thoughts.
- Substance use.
- Purposelessness.
- Anxiety.
- Feeling trapped.
- Hopelessness and helplessness.
- Withdrawal.
- Anger.
- Recklessness.
- Mood changes.
