AFTER three years on the run, Rabih Alkhalil is in custody overseas.
The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia (CFSEU-BC) and the RCMP Federal Policing Pacific Region (FPPR) said on Thursday that they can now confirm that Rabih Alkhalil was arrested in Qatar under an alias in September.
Earlier this month, the media had reported that Alkhalil had been arrested abroad, but CFSEU-BC and FPPR denied the reports because they apparently wanted to complete all the formalities of extraditing him from Qatar.
The news was first reported by The Dirty News (thedirtynewz.com) and followed up by other media.
Investigators from the CFSEU-BC and RCMP’s international partners pursued Alkhalil for more than three years. The pursuit concluded with the critical assistance of the Ministry of Interior of Qatar, whose professionalism and expertise, along with their swift and decisive action, were instrumental in bringing this matter to a close, police said.
The CFSEU-BC and RCMP are working with Interpol and international partners to have Alkhalil returned to Canada where he is wanted for being unlawfully at large after escaping prison while on trial for murder. Since his escape, Alkhalil has been convicted of murder that occurred in 2012 in Vancouver, making this his second first-degree murder charge.
“We are extremely grateful to the Ministry of Interior – Qatar for their assistance in the arrest of Rabih Alkhalil. Through their exceptional diligence, investigators ensured the apprehension of a dangerous fugitive who might otherwise still be outstanding today. I also wish to thank the many agencies that supported our team on this project and to recognize the police officers whose perseverance over the past three years made this result possible,” said Assistant Commissioner Manny Mann, Chief Officer of CFSEU-BC.
In February 2023, the Alkhalil investigation was transferred to CFSEU-BC with FPPR joining the investigation in December 2023.
“This arrest highlights the exceptional cooperation and unwavering commitment of our law enforcement partners across borders. Through dedicated coordination, intelligence-sharing and strong interagency collaboration, we have ensured that a dangerous individual will be held accountable. I commend all the agencies involved for their expertise, tenacity and shared commitment,” said Chief Superintendent Stephen Lee, Deputy Regional Commander of FPPR.
On July 21, 2022, Coquitlam RCMP responded to an incident at the pretrial centre after two men posing as contractors aided in the escape of Alkhalil where he was being held while on trial for a 2012 murder he had been charged with that occurred in Vancouver.
On September 8, 2025, CFSEU-BC and FPPR announced charges against Edward Ayoub, Ryan Van Gool and John Potvin for conspiracy to commit prison breach and prison breach. On September 19, John Potvin was arrested in Spain on the Red Notice.
“The arrest of Rabih Alkhalil marks the end of one of the most complex fugitive investigations Bolo has seen since its creation. … Justice can finally be served” said Max Langlois, Executive Director, Bolo Program.
This investigation remains active and ongoing.
ON October 18, 2022, the BOLO program in cooperation with Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers, announced a reward up to $250,000 for any information leading to the arrest of Alkhalil. The reward was available only until May 1, 2023.
The BOLO website said: “During the evening hours of Thursday, July 21, the RCMP were called to the North Fraser Pretrial Centre in Port Coquitlam for the escape of Rabih Alkhalil, a high-profile prisoner.
“Alkhalil was standing trial for murder when he escaped with the assistance of two accomplices posing as contractors.
“Alkhalil is wanted on Canada-wide warrants for murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and being unlawfully at large. He is a very dangerous criminal with a lengthy criminal record and extensive ties to organized crime. An Interpol Red Notice has been issued for him.
“In 2017, an Ontario judge sentenced Alkhalil to life in prison for the first-degree murder of a man in a Toronto coffee shop. He was also given a concurrent sentence of 20 years for conspiracy to commit murder.
“In 2020, in Quebec, Alkhalil was sentenced to eight years in prison for drug trafficking.
“On August 30, 2022, after his escape from the North Fraser Pretrial Centre, a jury found Alkhalil guilty of first-degree murder, the crime for which he was standing trial in B.C.”
A B.C. Supreme Court jury found Hells Angel Larry Amero guilty of conspiracy to commit murder in the shooting death of Sandip “Dip” Duhre at Downtown Vancouver’s Sheraton Wall Centre on January 17, 2012, and the homicide of Sukhveer (Sukh) Dhak who was gunned down along with his bodyguard, Thomas Mantel, in the lobby of the Executive Hotel and Conference Center in the 4200-block of Lougheed Highway in Burnaby on November 26, 2012.
Alkhalil was found guilty of conspiracy and first-degree murder in Duhre’s death and guilty of plotting to murder Dhak.
Back then, the gangland conflict was mainly between the United Nations gang and all the remnants and allies of the Dhak-Duhre side of things — and the so-called Wolf Pack: certain Hells Angels like Larry Amero and their allies and associates, the Independent Soldiers and the people that they brought to the equation and the Red Scorpions.
Red Scorpion leader Jonathan Bacon was gunned down in Kelowna on August 14, 2011, when Amero was also seriously injured. Alkhalil and Amero were accused of seeking revenge.
Three of Alkhalil’s brothers have been killed in gangland conflicts. Nabil Alkhalil, 42, was shot dead in a suburb of Mexico City in 2018. He had left B.C. for Mexico in 2013 after he was threatened with deportation for cocaine trafficking.
Khalil Alkhalil, 19, was shot to dead in Surrey in 2001 during a conflict over a $200 drug debt; and Mahmoud Alkhalil, 19, was killed in a gangland shoot-out in the Loft Six nightclub in Vancouver’s Gastown in 2003.
In April 2024, the Bolo Program announced an update of its Top 25 and the #4 suspect was revealed to be Rabih Alkhalil, wanted for murder and being unlawfully at large. A reward of up to $100,000 was announced for any information leading to his arrest.
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