Suspect charged in Canada for pro-IS propaganda

Ottawa 

A man was arrested and charged in British Columbia Friday after allegedly posting material supporting the Islamic State group and calling for killings in the name of "jihad," officials said.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said 33-year-old Othman Ayed Hamdan of Fort St John, about 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) north of Vancouver, was charged on three counts.

He is accused of counseling to commit murder, counseling to assault causing bodily harm and counseling to commit aggravated assault -- all "for the benefit of a terrorist group," according to an RCMP statement.

"Hamdan was involved in posting pro-Islamic State (ISIS) propaganda online which included inducement and instructions to commit murder in the name of jihad," the statement said. 

Hamdan, who has been under investigation since October 2014, is in custody and is expected to appear in court shortly.

The RCMP said "a number of items" were seized from his residence. 

"We were able to arrest this individual and disrupt his efforts to harm citizens across the country," said RCMP Superintendent Dan Bond, an assistant criminal operations officer for national security.