A Pakistani Canadian document-forger and immigrant-smuggler,[1] Michael John Hamdani (also Amarjit Singh Sangha, Azam Shah, Ranjit Singh, Ahmad Malik[2]) rose to notoriety after he entered a plea bargain with authorities, and triggered a manhunt for five fictitious Middle Eastern terrorists he invented.
[4] "We need to know why they have been smuggled into the country and what they're doing in the country" Arrested in October 2002 with $600,000 worth of forged traveler's cheques,[6] Hamdani later told prosecutors that Middle-Eastern men had approached him about acquiring documentation to allow them to travel from Pakistan, to England, to Canada, and finally entering the United States on December 24.
[9] By December 29, the FBI had alerted authorities across the country to be on the lookout, transmitting photographs, names and birthdates of five people provided by Hamdani.
[13] The Toronto Sun stated that the men had arrived at Pearson Airport weeks earlier, and claimed refugee status.
[10] Hamdani was arrested again in January 2008, along with his wife, son, daughter and son-in-law, for continuing to operate his forgery business while living in Guelph, avoiding police in Edmonton, Toronto and Vancouver.