Toronto, Ontario
The intel-inspired terrorist who killed 24-year old Ashley Noel Arzaga in 2020 has been found guilty on Nov. 28 for acts of terrorism and sentenced to life in prison with no eligibility for parole for ten years.
Oguzhan Sert was a teenager at the time when he brutally killed Arzaga, the mother of a five-year-old daughter who was working at a spa parlour.
It’s believed to be the first time in Canada that a court has made a finding of incel-motivated terrorist activity, which defence lawyers said could affect how terrorism is treated by the courts and viewed by society.
So far, typical terrorism cases have involved people who are part of an organization such as ISIS, defence lawyer Maurice Mattis said outside the courthouse after the sentencing. This case, however, has no organization but rather participation in an online community that is “sort of co-ordinated by persons who promote hate against women,” he said.
At a hearing last month, the man apologized to Arzaga’s family and friends, and to the surviving victim. The man, now 20, also said he has changed and no longer hates women.
“I’ve come to realize that life is so much more than just internet negativity … I wish I could travel back in time and talk some sense into my former self,” he said.
The court heard he planned to seek out women to violently attack with a 17-inch sword after he was radicalized with misogynistic views online.
He obtained the sword months before the attack and had it inscribed with a derogatory word for women and “slayer,” court heard.
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