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Great White North

Canadian pleads guilty to terrorism: reports

2009-09-23

[Al Arabiya Latest] A Canadian has pleaded guilty of a terrorist association with a group of alleged Islamic militants accused of plotting attacks in Toronto and Ottawa in 2006, Canadian media reported. Ali Dirie, 26, who entered the plea Monday, was the second member of the "Toronto 18" group to plead guilty to terrorism charges, after Saad Khalid, who was sentenced to 14 years in prison earlier this month. The reports in the National Post and the Toronto Star could not immediately be confirmed with the Canadian justice ministry. Born in Somalia and raised in Syria and Toronto, Dirie was arrested on the Canadian-U.S. border August 13, 2005 while trying to reenter Canada with two loaded semi-automatic handgun, the National Post said on its website. The driver of the vehicle, Yasin Mohamed, also was carrying a weapon, according to authorities. Initially, the two men were prosecuted and imprisoned for illegal possession of firearms. But on June 26 they were indicted on terrorism charges after authorities disrupted a plot that allegedly targeted Toronto's CN Tower, the city's stock exchange, a building housing the Canadian secret service, and the parliament in Ottawa. Charges were subsequently dropped against Mohamed but not Dirie. To foil the plot, the police infiltrated the group, whose objective allegedly was to gain the withdrawal of Canadian troops from Afghanistan. Dirie is scheduled to appear Wednesday before a court in a Toronto suburb for sentencing hearings. A sentence is expected Oct. 2, according to the Toronto Star. Seven of the 18 people arrested in mid-2006 were quickly released without charges.

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Great White North

How a Canadian police agent cracked a terror cell

2009-09-03

He is a shadowy figure who may be the highest paid police agent in Canadian history, costing taxpayers millions as he was rushed into witness protection. Yet the Islamist infiltrator once known as Shaher Elsohemy may prove worth every penny, at least as far as prosecutors and security services are concerned. Thursday's sentencing of a confessed terrorist will mark the first time that any core member of the alleged “Toronto 18” bomb conspiracy is sent to a penitentiary. This conviction might well have been impossible, had police not installed a man on the inside. An Arab entrepreneur in his 30s, Mr. Elsohemy is portrayed in court documents as playing a crucial, clandestine role in thwarting the high-profile plot, yet has received almost no attention to date. He claims that he so thoroughly infiltrated a inner circle of radicalized youth that he was given envelopes of cash and shopping lists of chemicals, as he was asked to help attack Toronto with fertilizer bombs. On June 2, 2006, the agent disappeared to parts unknown to assume a new identity, as undercover police staged a delivery of fake ammonium nitrate to some of the suspects. Eighteen accused in total were rounded up that day. One of them has since opted not to fight charges. “Not a day passes that I am not filled with regret for my role in this despicable crime,” Saad Khalid, now 22, said at a sentencing hearing last week. Caught unloading boxes marked “ammonium nitrate” fertilizer from the back a truck, he asked for leniency as prosecutors pressed for a 20-year jail term. Ontario Superior Court Judge Bruce Durno will sentence Mr. Khalid today, and in doing so reveal how much weight he gives to the evidence of the mystery agent who has not resurfaced since vanishing three years ago. Obviously, all the juicy details are at the link.

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Great White North

Canadian intended to pursue jihad, sentencing hearing told

2009-06-27

A Mississauga man who pleaded guilty to participating in a bomb plot concocted by members of the so-called Toronto 18 "intended to pursue jihad in Canada," a Brampton court was told this morning. During final submissions at the sentencing hearing of Saad Khalid, Crown prosecutor Croft Michaelson said the 22-year-old was "an active and enthusiastic participant" in a deadly plot aimed at blowing up targets in downtown Toronto. Although he has pleaded guilty to participating in the foiled plot, lawyers on both sides are now arguing before Superior Court Justice Bruce Durno over how much Khalid really knew about it and what his intentions were. Michaelson told the court Khalid must have known the plan was to blow up the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Front Street offices of Canada's spy agency because he had been told by the alleged mastermind to take a camera and do reconnaissance work downtown. The prosecutor also pointed out the evidence suggests Khalid knew that the plot would have involved, at the very least, two tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertilizer destined for truck bombs because he had been told about an order for the explosive material and was instructed to find a place to store it. Khalid must have known the plot was "intended to cause death and destruction, if he did not know he was wilfully blind," said Michaelson. But defence lawyer Russell Silverstein says two of Khalid's co-accused were the masterminds of the plot and that his client was "unaware of their true purpose" and the intended targets. He also said his client never intended to seriously hurt or kill anyone. "These men...are consciously misleading Mr. Khalid as a means of getting him to do their bidding, without telling him what's going on," said Silverstein, adding there was a "campaign of disinformation, obfuscation and hiding of the truth." If, as the Crown alleges, Khalid was to be tasked with building the bombs, why weren't any bomb-making videos, Internet materials or manuals found on him, asked Silverstein. According to an agreed statement of facts, Khalid was arrested during a sting operation while unloading a delivery truck filled with what he believed were three tonnes of ammonium nitrate. He was off-loading it into a storage facility that he and a co-accused had rented. Khalid was among 14 adults and four youths charged in the summer of 2006 with belonging to a homegrown terror cell. Since then charges have been stayed against seven of the accused and one youth has been convicted. The others await trial. A publication ban prohibits identifying the co-accused.

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Great White North

Toronto 18 attack was to mimic 9/11

2009-06-24

It was to be "the Battle of Toronto," a three-day bombing assault aimed at shutting the downtown core, crippling the economy and killing civilians. Members of the so-called Toronto 18 would pack three U-Haul vans with explosives and park them at three locations: the Toronto Stock Exchange; the Front St. offices of Canada's spy agency; and a military base off Highway 401 between Toronto and Ottawa. If they got their act together in time -- if they procured the necessary ammonium nitrate fertilizer and nitric acid -- maybe the bombings could begin on Sept. 11, 2006. And if all went according to plan, they would wait three months and launch another attack on the Sears Building in Chicago or the United Nations building in New York City. The destruction in Toronto would make London's 2005 subway bombings appear "very small." And, it would "screw" with the prime minister, government and military so much that they would pull Canada's troops from Afghanistan. Those were some of the comments made by the alleged Number 2 guy of the bomb plot while speaking to undercover police agent Shaher Elsohemy in the months leading up to the mass arrests on June 2, 2006. The remarks were contained in a "statement of uncontested facts" presented yesterday in a Brampton court on the first day of a sentencing hearing for Saad Khalid. The 22-year-old Mississauga man pleaded guilty to his role in the bomb plot, marking the first time a member of the group admitted to the existence of a bomb plot. For the first time, more specific details of the plot surfaced -- such as the "Battle of Toronto" moniker, trying to coincide an attack with the Sept. 11 anniversary, the targeting of an Ontario armed forces base and the name of the agent who orchestrated the purchase of three tonnes of ammonium nitrate. Based on the evidence read aloud by Crown prosecutor Croft Michaelson, Khalid was neither the alleged mastermind of the plot nor the Number 2 guy. But he clearly played a role. Khalid arranged for the rental of warehouse space in Newmarket, where they had planned to store the fertilizer, and he was tasked with receiving the delivery truck when it arrived. A video played in court showed Khalid and a co-accused unloading a truck and carrying bags labelled "ammonium nitrate" into the warehouse. To avoid suspicion, they wore T-shirts with the words "Student Farmers" on them. Before the two finished unloading the truck, police officers with guns drawn swooped in to arrest them. A series of similarly dramatic arrests played out across the GTA that day, garnering international headlines of a homegrown terror cell. Khalid was charged with knowingly participating in a terrorist group, receiving training for the purpose of enhancing the ability of a terrorist group and doing anything with "intent to cause an explosion of an explosive substance that was likely to cause serious bodily harm or death." He pleaded guilty to the last count. The other counts likely will be withdrawn, said Khalid's lawyer Russell Silverstein. Superior Court Justice Bruce Durno ordered a publication ban on the identities of Khalid's co-accused. Since the arrests of the 14 adults and four youths, charges against seven have been stayed. A youth was convicted in the fall of belonging to a terror group. Yesterday, the courtroom was largely filled with reporters and relatives of the accused -- many likely wondering what this plea means for their loved ones still behind bars and awaiting trial. Central to the Crown's case are two alleged conspiracies: that some of the accused attended a terrorist training camp and some were involved in a bomb plot. Court was told that Khalid attended a jihadist training camp in Washago, Ont., in December 2005. By March 2006, the group's two alleged ringleaders -- one from Scarborough and the other from Mississauga -- had a falling-out. After the rift, the Mississauga leader is alleged to have developed the bomb plot. His Number 2 guy was the one who most often met with the agent. The hearing continues tomorrow.

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Great White North

Man receives 2œ-year sentence for Toronto bomb plot involvement

2009-05-23

A man belonging to the so-called Toronto 18 terror group was sentenced to 2œ years in prison Friday, becoming the first person convicted in a domestic terrorism trial in Canada. The judge in Brampton, Ont., who sentenced the 21-year-old man declared that, with credit for his time already spent in custody, the man had served his time and could be freed. Sure, after all he promised not to kill anyone ever again, eh ... The man was found guilty in September 2008 of participation in a terrorist group that was plotting to blow up buildings in downtown Toronto. He was not a ringleader and his involvement included attending two terrorist training camps, shoplifting items from a Canadian Tire store and removing a surveillance camera. In passing sentence, Justice John Sproat described the man's crime as "very serious," but also noted he had expressed genuine remorse. In a letter to the court, the man promised to work hard to contribute to society and declared, "I do not believe in participating in violent acts against anyone." Except infidels and crusaders ... He was 17 at the time, so he was tried under youth justice laws. However, the judge found he had continued his activity with the terrorist group past his 18th birthday, so he was sentenced as an adult. He also given three years probation, prohibited from owning weapons for 10 years and ordered to submit a DNA sample. The media still cannot name him, because the judge granted a defence request Friday to keep the man's identity shielded for a month while his lawyers have the chance to appeal his conviction. Earlier this month, Saad Khalid, 22, pleaded guilty to aiding in the 2006 terrorist plot. He is expected to be sentenced in June. The 18 men and youths were arrested in the Toronto area and detained following an investigation by CSIS, Canada's spy agency. Seven of those accused have since had their charges stayed or dropped. The remaining individuals have yet to stand trial. The suspects face charges including participating in a terrorist group, receiving training from a terrorist group, providing training, and intending to cause an explosion that could cause serious bodily harm or death. The offences allegedly took place between March and June 2006 in Mississauga and a rural township near Orillia, Ont. The Crown alleges the group planned to bomb the CN Tower, the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Toronto CSIS office.

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Great White North

Canadian Muslim pleads guilty to terrorist plot

2009-05-07

[Al Arabiya Latest] A Canadian man has plead guilty to participating in a terrorist plot three years ago to attack the Canadian parliament and take the prime minister hostage, prosecutors said Wednesday. Saad Khalid, 22, is the first adult in the group to admit a role in the alleged plot. Khalid was part of a group of 18 Canadian Muslims arrested in mid-2006 in Toronto, accused of planning attacks in that city and in Ottawa, and having ties to jihadists in Pakistan. He entered a guilty plea in a Brampton courtroom on Monday, but a publication ban ordered by the court prevented its publication until Wednesday. Khalid faced two charges of "knowingly participating in or contributing to ... activities of a terrorist group ... (enabling it) to carry out a terrorist activity," and intending to cause a deadly and destructive explosion, said an indictment. The group allegedly planned to attack the Canadian parliament and to take hostages, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper, to force Canada to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan. Prosecutors said the group wanted to obtain three tons of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer that can be used to make explosives. But after the arrests, authorities dropped charges against seven of the suspects, and they were freed. In September, one of the youngest of the group whose name cannot be revealed because of his age, was found guilty of terrorist activities. He is now 20 and remains in prison. Khalid, and other members of what was dubbed the Toronto 18, was arrested in June, 2006 and charged with terror-related offences. Nine others still remain in custody awaiting trial.

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Great White North

Teacher witnessed transformation of some bomb-plot suspects

2006-06-09

A Muslim religious leader in Toronto who knows some of those charged in the suspected bomb plot says the young men underwent rapid transformations from normal Canadian teenagers to radicalized introverts. Sayyid Ahmed Amiruddin got to know Saad Khalid, 19, and some of the other alleged conspirators at a local mosque. Khalid was arrested last Friday at a warehouse, where he and another suspect allegedly took delivery of what they thought was ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer, and the same substance used in the deadly Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. Fifteen others are also facing charges connected to the alleged plot. Amiruddin says Khalid used to come to his mosque to pray, sometimes in the company of Zakaria Amara and Fahim Ahmad, two of the alleged ringleaders. "They would enter into the mosque to pray, and they would pray in a very aggressive manner, and they would come in military fatigues and military touques and stuff. It looked to me that they were watching a lot of those Chechnyan jihad videos online and stuff."

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Great White North

It's the Jihad, Stupid

2006-06-07

By Michelle Malkin Canadian law enforcement officials should be proud of busting a reputed Islamic terrorist network that may span seven nations. Instead, our northern neighbors are trying their damnedest to whitewash the jihadi ties that bind the accused plotters and their murder-minded peers around the world. We live on a doomed continent of ostriches. A Royal Canadian Mounted Police official coined the baneful phrase "broad strata" to describe the segment of Canadian society from whence Qayyum Abdul Jamal and his fellow adult suspects Fahim Ahmad, Zakaria Amara, Asad Ansari, Shareef Abdelhaleen, Mohammed Dirie, Yasim Abdi Mohamed, Jahmaal James, Amin Mohamed Durrani, Abdul Shakur, Ahmad Mustafa Ghany and Saad Khalid came. "Broad"? I suppose it is so if one defines "broad" to mean more than one spelling variation of Mohammed or Jamal. Or perhaps, as Internet humorist Jim Treacher (jimtreacher.com) suggests, "broad" refers to the "strata" of the suspects' beard lengths. Undeterred by the obvious, Toronto police chief Bill Blair assured the public that the Muslim suspects "were motivated by an ideology based on politics, hatred and terrorism, and not on faith....I am not aware of any mosques that these individuals were influenced by." Well, Chief Blindspot, try the Al-Rahman Islamic Center for Islamic Education. That's the Canadian storefront mosque where eldest jihadi suspect Qayyum Abdul Jamal is, according to his own lawyer, a prayer leader and active member-along with many of the other Muslim males arrested in the sweep.

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Great White North

For Muslim students, school can alienate

2006-06-07

Offensive remarks can fuel anger at society, some say `They judge you just because you're wearing a scarf' A darker side of Toronto's diversity is emerging on school campuses in the aftermath of arrests in an alleged terrorist plot involving at least five suspects younger than 18. Most of the other 12 are in their late teens or early 20s, which raises the question: How could young people brought up in our own backyard, in a place that seemingly affords them every opportunity, be motivated to carry out a potentially horrific act of terrorism in Toronto? While speculation has focused on mosques and prayer halls as possible places of indoctrination, students across Greater Toronto are suggesting that alienation might just begin at school. One of the accused is Saad Khalid, 19, a former student at Meadowvale Secondary School in Mississauga. He and two other former Meadowvale students charged in the case — Fahim Ahmad and Zakaria Amara — were known by some of the teenagers the Toronto Star talked to there this week. The current students declined to be identified, in part because of an announcement made by a school administrator strongly encouraging them "to refrain from talking to reporters." But white students, as well as those of South Asian or Middle Eastern descent, painted a picture of a divided student body, with a so-called "brown corner" at one end of the school where Muslim teens hang out, often speaking in their mother tongue. They also pointed to the trend among some Muslim students to take on a more visibly orthodox appearance as they progress through Meadowvale.

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Great White North

Police planted evidence: Terrorists’ arrest in Toronto was a sting operation

2006-06-05

The three tonnes of ammonium nitrate found with the Totonto terrorism suspects was planted by the police in an elaborate sting operation. According to Toronto Star, “Sources say investigators who had learned of the group’s alleged plan to build a bomb were controlling the sale and transport of the massive amount of fertiliser, a key component in creating explosives. Once the deal was done, the RCMP-led anti-terrorism task force moved in for the arrests.” At the news conference held by the police, there was no mention of the sting operation. Among the intended targets of the group, one report said, was the Parliament in Ottawa and the headquarters of Canada’s premier spy agency. The 12 adults charged are: Fahim Ahmad, 21; Jahmaal James, 23; Amin Mohamed Durrani, 19; and Steven Vikash Chand, 25, all of Toronto; Zakaria Amara, 20; Asad Ansari, 21; Shareef Abdelhaleen, 30; Ahmad Mustafa Ghany, 21; Saad Khalid, 19; and Qayyum Abdul Jamal, 43, all of Mississauga; and Mohammed Dirie, 22 and Yasin Abdi Mohamed, 24. Six of the 12 suspects lived in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga, four came from Toronto and two from the town of Kingston in Ontario. The last two are already in custody on a gun smuggling charge. The police also arrested five youngsters but their identities or names have not bee made public. At a court hearing in Toronto on Saturday, all the suspects were produced and Canadian newspapers published photographs of head-to-toe, black burqa clad group of women said to belong to the one or more of the families of the men arrested. One whose face was visible looked like a Pakistani. Several of the men, photographed as they were being brought in police cars, were bearded. The charges include participating in or contributing to the activity of a terrorist group, including training and recruitment; providing or making available property for terrorist purposes; and the commission of indictable offences, including firearms and explosives offences for the benefit of or in association with a terrorist group. According to the Toronto Star report, “Anser Farooq, a lawyer who represents five of the accused, pointed at snipers on the roof of the courthouse and said, “This is ridiculous. They’ve got soldiers here with guns. This is going to completely change the atmosphere. I think the police cast their net far too wide,” he said. According to the Globe and Mail, defence lawyer Rocco Galati, who was representing some of the suspects, protested the intense security measures at the court. Galati later scoffed at the allegations. “I’ve seen fertiliser for the last eight years,” he said. Aly Hindy, a Toronto imam, said he knew several of the accused because they prayed at his mosque but said they were not terrorists. “The charges are to keep George Bush happy, that’s all,” he added sardonically. The Globe and Mail did not mention that all incriminating evidence had been planted on the suspects. AP adds: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said there was no indication that the arrested were trying to plan an attack in the United States. “We certainly don’t believe that there’s any link to the United States, but obviously we will follow up,” said Rice. “I think we will get whatever information we need,” she said. “But it’s obviously a great success for the Canadians. They’re to be congratulated for it.”

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