Men sentenced in ‘highly suspicious’ Burnaby incident

Two men have been sentenced in connection with a bizarre incident in Burnaby that took place in 2019.

It happened at a high-rise near Metrotown in July of that year. According to police at the time, officers were called to a unit where someone was reportedly being held against their will. After entering the suite, three men inside attempted to leave by the balcony, with one of them falling to the ground from the 11th floor.

The man who fell was transported to the hospital where he was treated for serious injuries. He was taken into custody, while the other two men were arrested on lower floors.

Meanwhile, the victim of the alleged kidnapping was located safe and unharmed.

Related articles: 

• Hostage situation ends with man falling from apartment building

• Three men charged with kidnapping, forcible confinement in Burnaby

Abdulkadir Handule and Abdullah Abdullahi were initially charged with kidnapping. However, they were acquitted after a B.C. Supreme Court judge found the circumstances “highly suspicious” and said it was likely the alleged victim was in on the plot and participated in fake hostage videos to extort money from an associate.

Handule and Abdullahi were each eventually found guilty of unlawful confinement. The third man arrested was acquitted.

Handule, has been sentenced to six years, though he is currently serving a life sentence for two counts of second-degree murder — both of which are under appeal — in a case that happened after the 2019 condo incident.

Abdullahi is sentenced to two years less a day, subject to house arrest. He is bound by a number of conditions, including not leaving his residence for the first 12 months unless for a select number of exempt reasons. For the last 12 months of his sentence, Abdullahi will be required to abide by a curfew, and only be allowed to leave his home for a select number of reasons, for example to go to work or for a medical emergency.