243. From Radicalization to Redemption: Undercover in the Toronto 18 with Mubin Shaikh episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 13, 2026 · 1H 7M

243. From Radicalization to Redemption: Undercover in the Toronto 18 with Mubin Shaikh

from SPYCRAFT 101 · host Justin Black

Today Justin sits down with Mubin Shaikh. Mubin grew up in Toronto, Ontario in a family of Indian Muslim immigrants. As a young man, he was drawn down the path of radicalization after traveling to India and Pakistan and encountering Taliban fighters there. However, in 2004, he experienced a change of heart and soon began working with the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service to identify potential jihadis in Canada. In 2006, Mubin was the key witness in Canada's biggest ever homegrown terror investigation, which resulted in nearly 20 convictions. He's here today to discuss his experiences undercover with a terror group that later became known as the Toronto 18, which he wrote about in his book. Mubin's work was instrumental in securing convictions for the participants, but living a double life for more than two years also came at great personal cost to him. Connect with Mubin: parents4peace.org LinkedIn: Mubin Shaikh Check out the book, Undercover Jihadi: Inside the Toronto 18, here. https://a.co/d/06jRj4HA Connect with Spycraft 101: Get Justin's latest book, Murder, Intrigue, and Conspiracy: Stories from the Cold War and Beyond, here. spycraft101.com IG: @spycraft101 Shop: shop.spycraft101.com Patreon: Spycraft 101 Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here. Check out Justin's second book, Covert Arms, here. Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mubin Shaikh shares the story of how he became involved with jihadist group The Toronto 18, and how he helped the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS) bust them.

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243. From Radicalization to Redemption: Undercover in the Toronto 18 with Mubin Shaikh

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This episode was published on April 13, 2026.

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Today Justin sits down with Mubin Shaikh. Mubin grew up in Toronto, Ontario in a family of Indian Muslim immigrants. As a young man, he was drawn down the path of radicalization after traveling to India and Pakistan and encountering Taliban fighters...

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