Awso Peshdary appears briefly in court on terrorism-related charges

Awso Peshdaryof Ottawa made his first appearance in court today, a day after he was arrested andchargedwith conspiracy to facilitate a terrorist act, among other counts.

The 25-year-oldwas arrested by RCMP on Tuesday.

In court on Wednesday, hewas ordered to make his next appearance on Monday.

He was wearing a black fur-lined parka and sat throughout the proceeding with his hands in his pockets. Peshdarywas expressionless until the end of his appearance, when he smiled at family members in the packedcourtroom, according to the CBC's LaurieFagan.

• Who isAwsoPeshdary?

Peshdarywas ordered by a justice of the peacenot to communicate with 14 possible witnesses, including two men he was charged alongside,three other Ottawa men also facing terrorism-related charges, and members of a Muslim students association.

His defence lawyer, Richard Morris, had argued against the order, saying that the prosecution hadn't presented theevidence in disclosure to justify it.

Federal prosecutor RodSonleyargued that evidence to justify the orderwill be presented atPeshdary'snext appearance on Monday,and that in the meantime, the serious nature of the charges warrants the order.

Peshdary was charged along with John (Yahya) Maguire, 24,and Khadar Khalib, 23, for alleged offences includingconspiracy to facilitate a terrorist act, knowingly participating in the activities of a terror group and counselling a person to knowingly participate in a terrorist activity.

The allegations have notbeen proven in court.

CBC News has learned that police believe Peshdary radicalized Maguire, who publicly threatened Canada in an ISIS video released late last year.

Police maintain that Peshdary led Maguire a relatively new convert to Islam to extremist materials, groomed him, and paid for his flight overseas.

Intending to join Maguire in Syria, Peshdary bought a ticket for himself, police said. However, he never properly applied for a passport and was forced to stay in Ottawa, where police maintain he went to work radicalizing others.

Police believe he persuaded Khalib, a student at Algonquin College and a friend of Maguire, to join ISIS. Khalib left Canada via Toronto's Pearson International Airport on March 29, 2014. His Facebook account has been a source of ISIS propaganda since his departure.

Police said that since becoming ensconced with ISIS, Maguire and Khalib, with the aid of Peshdary, have been actively reaching back into their tightly knit Ottawa circle of friends, trying to recruit others to join them.