Report identifies Mohamed Siad as man trying to sell alleged Rob Ford crack video

We now know the name of one other person who is believed to have seen a video of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking from a crack pipe, with the Toronto Star confirming the identity of the man who tried to sell two reporters a copy last May.

The Star has identified the man as Mohamed Siad, an alleged drug dealer who was swept up in a recent police raid on a guns and drug ring operating out of the city's west end.

The newspaper reports that two writers, Robyn Doolittle and Kevin Donovan, dealt with a broker and only met Siad in order to view the video. They did not know his identity until recently, according to the report.

U.S. gossip site Gawker also reported seeing the video under similar circumstances. Editor John Cook said on Friday that Siad "appears to be the same man" he met in Toronto.

Siad is said to have been looking for a “six figure” payday in order to move to Alberta. It is unclear whether Siad is the same person who shot the video, or whether he was simply trying to sell it.

Siad faces charges related to drug trafficking, conspiracy and participating in a criminal ring after being arrested as part of Project Traveller – an extensive undercover investigation that reportedly captured conversations about the Ford crack video on wiretaps.

Chief Bill Blair has refused to comment about whether Ford is the subject of investigation, or whether police have obtained a copy of the video. That refusal has raised questions.

According to political insider Warren Kinsella, police did in fact obtain a copy of the video from Siad when he was arrested, and a search warrant was executed. He also says the Crown office was given a copy of the video and the video was disclosed to Siad's lawyer, Daniel Brown.

"Will the video come out anytime soon? I don’t know," Kinsella writes. "But what I do know is this: the video is in the hands of many people, now. And it has been seen by many more. And it shows Rob Ford smoking what appears to be crack cocaine. It is real."

When Kinsella was asked how he knows the video is real, he responded, "That’s for me to know, etc. If you dispute it, sue me."


We are not sure about all that, but based on the official wall of silence that surrounds the investigation and alleged video, it seems inevitable that someone knows more than they are saying.

The police won't officially confirm anything, the Crown won't discuss anything. Brown told the Star he couldn't speak but that he was applying to be removed from the case.

Lawyers representing several media groups are fighting in court for details of the case to be released to the public. The waiting game continues.

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