Tuesday, June 2, 2026
ADVT 
National

Lawyers for alleged B.C. hijacker get more time to prepare bail application

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 18 Aug, 2025 11:07 AM
  • Lawyers for alleged B.C. hijacker get more time to prepare bail application

The man accused of hijacking a plane and triggering a security scare at Vancouver International Airport last month appeared briefly at a provincial court in Richmond, B.C., where his lawyers were granted an adjournment.

Shaheer Cassim attended the court virtually from Surrey Pretrial Centre wearing an orange sweatsuit.

He acknowledged he could see and hear the judge, and sat with his hands on his knees throughout the short video appearance, which lasted less than five minutes.

An articling student representing Cassim's defence lawyer, Kevin Westell, asked the court for a two-week adjournment as they continue to prepare a bail application.

The agent confirmed Cassim had agreed to remain in custody until his next appearance, which the judge scheduled for Sept. 2.

Cassim is a former commercial pilot who faces charges for allegedly taking a small aircraft from Victoria's airport on July 15 and flying it over the Vancouver airport before he was arrested upon landing.

The 39-year-old has been in custody at the pretrial facility in Surrey since his arrest and his court files have been placed under publication bans. 

He's been charged with hijacking, which is an offence constituting terrorism, and with damaging or interfering with a navigation system.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

MORE National ARTICLES

NDP expected to unveil campaign pledge to remove GST on internet, heat, diapers, more

NDP expected to unveil campaign pledge to remove GST on internet, heat, diapers, more
With the cost of living playing a central role in provincial elections across Canada and in the U.S. presidential race, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is set to unveil a pre-campaign policy plank for the next federal election to differentiate his party from the governing Liberals.  Singh is expected to announce this morning that an NDP government would remove the GST on what his party deems "essentials." 

NDP expected to unveil campaign pledge to remove GST on internet, heat, diapers, more

Abbotsford man pleads guilty to trafficking in black bear paws

Abbotsford man pleads guilty to trafficking in black bear paws
British Columbia's Conservation Officer Service says a man from Abbotsford has pleaded guilty to two counts of trafficking in black bear paws. A statement from the service says Hong Tao Yang entered his pleas in a Port Coquitlam courtroom on Wednesday, where he was ordered to pay a penalty and victim surcharge worth a total of $8,625.

Abbotsford man pleads guilty to trafficking in black bear paws

RCMP warn against vigilantism in Squamish as concerns circulate online

RCMP warn against vigilantism in Squamish as concerns circulate online
Police in Squamish have issued a warning against vigilante action over safety concerns they say are circulating on social media. The statement from Sea to Sky RCMP says police want to "reassure" residents of the community about 60 kilometres north of Vancouver that "there is no current threat to public safety."

RCMP warn against vigilantism in Squamish as concerns circulate online

Housing targets on track for Vancouver

Housing targets on track for Vancouver
The City of Vancouver says it is on track to meet provincial targets in housing development in its latest progress report. Vancouver's first annual report on the targets showed that more than four-thousand units were built in the city from October 2023 to September 2024.

Housing targets on track for Vancouver

Dozens of criminal charges laid against 3 people in an alleged fraudulent bank-draft scheme

Dozens of criminal charges laid against 3 people in an alleged fraudulent bank-draft scheme
Dozens of criminal charges have been laid against three people in an alleged fraudulent bank-draft scheme that targeted vehicle businesses for what police say was about 850-thousand dollars in losses. R-C-M-P in Richmond say their officers began an investigation in January over allegations that forged bank drafts were used to purchase high-end vehicles, including B-M-W's, Mercedes-Benz and others valued at between 33-thousand and 103-thousand dollars.

Dozens of criminal charges laid against 3 people in an alleged fraudulent bank-draft scheme

4 arrested in drug trafficking investigation

4 arrested in drug trafficking investigation
Mounties in Burnaby say four people have been arrested and large amounts of drugs and cash have been seized following a four-month interprovincial drug trafficking investigation. They say officers executed two search warrants on properties in Coquitlam and Surrey and seized more than 95-hundred Hydromorphone pills believed to be diverted prescription pills, as well as other substances including more than a kilogram of suspected cocaine.

4 arrested in drug trafficking investigation