TORONTO - Canada's national police force has arrested and charged a Canadian man with falsely claiming to have committed terrorist acts.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police says the criminal charge against 25-year-old Shehroze Chaudhry stems from numerous media interviews in which he described travelling to Syria in 2016 to join the extremist Islamic State movement and committing acts of extremism.
Chaudhry is charged with a criminal code offence of perpetrating a hoax related to terrorist activity.
The RCMP says the Burlington, Ontario, man's interviews were published in multiple media outlets, aired on podcasts and featured in a television documentary.
RCMP Supt. Christopher deGale says hoaxes can generate fear by creating the illusion there is a potential threat to Canadians.