A Canadian man died on the frontlines of the Libyan conflict this week while fighting with the rebels trying to oust Moammar Gadhafi from power.
A friend has revealed that Nader Benrewin was shot dead by a sniper as he took part in a raid on Gadhafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound in Tripoli, which Libyan rebels stormed on Tuesday.
Benrewin, 24, was born in Edmonton, but worked in Ottawa for the past three years, Haitham Alabadleh told The Canadian Press.
The Ottawa man made the decision to go back to Libya where his family was living and he pledged to fight with the rebels.
CTV's South Asia Bureau Chief Janis Mackey Frayer reported that Benrewin was trained in Benghazi and stationed near the Tunisian border before taking part in the raid on Gadhafi's compound.
Alabadleh said Benrewin was a peace activist who enjoyed meals and riverside strolls with his friends.
A Foreign Affairs spokesperson in Ottawa told CTVNews.ca that the department is aware of the "reports of the death of a Canadian citizen in Libya."
While the Canadian embassy in Tripoli has suspended it operations, Foreign Affairs staff in Tunisia "stand ready to provide consular assistance."
With files from The Canadian Press
