Khurram Sher, charged in connection with a bombing plot in Canada, tried out for the show in 2008. By Gil Kaufman Khurram Sayed Sher on “Canadian Idol” Photo: CTV A Montreal man authorities have charged with conspiracy in a terrorist plot to bomb sites in Canada and abroad tried out for “Canadian Idol” with a moonwalking, robot popping, off-key version of Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated” in 2008 that amused judges, but has confused authorities. Khurram Sayed Sher made a bid for the Northern version of “Idol” two years ago and was featured in the televised audition rounds as one of the lesser talents, with the Winnipeg Free Press reporting that he got a thumbs-up for his dance moves from the judges, but no love for his shaky vocals. “That was some genuine crap singing,” judge Zack Werner said at the time. “It’s sort of absurd. It is a little weird,” said Jake Gold, one of the judges on the Canadian show. “He was a funny guy. At the same time, it’s not a laughing matter.” Sher, a native of Pakistan, appeared on the show wearing a traditional shimmering green salwar kameez outfit, typically worn in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and a Pashtun hat and speaking in a thick accent that disappeared when he sang. He told judges he was from Pakistan and came to Canada in 2005. But those who knew him when he attended medical school at McGill University in Montreal told the Toronto Star that Sher was born in Montreal, had no accent and seemed very “westernized.” One unnamed person who reportedly knew him well said he used the fake Pakistani accent and wore the traditional clothes as a goof. “He did it as a joke,” the friend said. Sher, 28, a hockey player and father of three, is a pathologist who graduated from one of Canada’s most prestigious medical schools, and was a humanitarian aid worker who helped earthquake survivors in Pakistan in 2005. He was arrested on Tuesday after Canadian authorities alleged he was part of a terrorist conspiracy. He was named in court documents as being part of a conspiracy in Ottawa to “knowingly facilitate terrorist activities” in Canada and abroad, including a plot to build and detonate remote-controlled bombs in Canada.
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Former ‘Canadian Idol’ Contestant Arrested In Terrorist Plot
