Canada’s foreign affairs ministry is probing reports that a woman originally from White Rock, B.C. has been kidnapped by Islamic State militants in Syria.
A spokesperson from the Department of Foreign Affairs said that the government is “pursuing all appropriate channels to seek further information and officials are in close contact with local authorities.”
The bureau says it will not release any information that could compromise “ongoing efforts.”
However, a government source told CTV News that its sources are indicating the reports are likely false.
The Jerusalem Post is reporting that the kidnapping victim is Gill Rosenberg, a Vancouver-born 31-year-old who had previously served in the Israeli military.
The newspaper quotes Islamist websites claiming that Rosenberg was captured by ISIS warriors during a battle with Kurdish fighters.
Rosenberg said earlier this month she had joined Kurdish fighters battling ISIS because the militants were evil. But Israeli radio is reporting that she wasn't in Kobani and reports of her capture may only be propoganda.
Rosenberg has dual citizenship, and has been living in Israel since 2009.
She grew up in British Columbia, attending King David High School in Vancouver, a private Jewish school. She later studied airport operations at BCIT, graduating in December 2003.
Rosenberg has a serious criminal history. According to the FBI, she plead guilty and was sentenced to more than three years in prison for a phony “lottery prize” phone scam that targeted elderly people in the U.S.
The scheme bilked vulnerable seniors out of more than $25-million.
'I don't think Canada has ever made it a litmus test whether someone has a criminal record in terms of determining whether we need to get them back from a dangerous place in the world," said Steve McDonald of the Centre for Israel & Jewish Affairs.
"Canada has a responsibility."
On a Facebook page in her name, Rosenberg's friends and family are sending concerned messages, hoping that she's safe and the reports are false.
