Mother of convicted ISIS terrorist runs for Halton school trustee

TORONTO — The mother of a Canadian man serving 40 years for an ISIS plot to bomb Times Square is a certified candidate for Halton District School Board trustee in Milton.Khdiga R. Metwally filed June 15 for Milton Wards 1 and 2. Nominations closed Aug. 21. The Town of Milton lists her against Andrew J. Wood. Incumbent Donna Danielli holds the seat. The vote is Oct. 26. Her campaign site pledges “safe and welcoming learning environments.” It does not mention her son.Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy was born in Kuwait, grew up in Mississauga, and is a Canadian citizen. The U.S. attorney’s office said that in 2016 he used encrypted chats with men in Pakistan and the Philippines to plan bombings and shootings in New York during Ramadan for ISIS. He was 17 when the chats began. Prosecutors said he bought 40 lbs. of hydrogen peroxide, mailed bomb-making material, marked subway sites on a map, secured a cabin near the city to build devices, sent an undercover agent a photo of Times Square crowds with a message to car-bomb the square, and spoke of creating “the next 9/11.” He was taken from the family car in New York in May 2016. His mother has said he had “only his bag and a few clothes.”He pleaded guilty on Oct. 13, 2016, and said in court he had agreed to bomb Times Square for ISIL. On Dec. 19, 2018, he was sentenced to 40 years. Metwally shouted, “This is a sick boy! This is crazy. You have no justice,” and was taken out..In a 2019 email to the Toronto Sun she called the charges “unfair” and “fabricated,” said the FBI and RCMP “manipulated him by ‘hyper’ talking while he was manic,” and warned Canadians about “net manipulating.” She also said the case was “all Canada’s fault,” saying her son was on a mental-health waiting list here when investigators were talking to him online. A letter of his used in court said his parents later put him in an Islamic school in the Toronto area where he was drawn to “militant jihad.” In 2025 her husband took an RCMP-entrapment complaint to Canada’s national-security review agency. The review found the Mounties acted in good faith on credible evidence.While serving the 40-year sentence, El Bahnasawy stabbed officer Dale Franquet Jr. in the eye. Franquet lost the eye. On Nov. 4, 2025, he pleaded guilty to assault with intent to murder, prison contraband, and providing material support to ISIS. A January 2026 ruling found him guilty on a remaining support count. Filings cited ISIS graffiti and a note calling the stabbing a terrorist attack for ISIS. Guidelines on the new file run from 30 years to life on top of the 40.Halton District School Board trustees set policy for public schools in Milton and the rest of Halton, including climate and who comes through the door. The Education Act does not bar a convict’s parent. Milton Wards 1 and 2 vote Oct. 26. Khdiga R. Metwally has not responded to a request for comment at this time.

Mother of convicted ISIS terrorist runs for Halton school trustee

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