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June 3, 2006

Canada: 17 Suspected Muslim Terrorists Arrested

News from the Toronto Star, the BBC and Associated Press via Fox News states that 17 Muslims have been arrested, on terrorism charges. The individuals had apparently planned terror attacks in southern Ontario.

In Washington DC, the FBI said that the Canadians may have had "limited contact" with two men fro Georgia who were recently charged on terrorist offenses. 19-year old Eshanul Islam Sadequee from Roswell Georgia, of Bangladeshi origin, and Syed Haris Ahmed a 21 year old Pakistan-born student of Georgia Tech, had travelled to Toronto in March. This pair, who had grown up in Atlanta, Georgia, apparently discussed attacking oil and military targets, and to disrupt military and commercial communications.

Those arrested in Canada were 12 male adults and five teenagers. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police stated that the suspects were Canadian nationals, and had trained together.

One the individuals who was under arrest and held in Pickering suburb, Toronto was 22 year old Fahim Ahmed, a father from Scarborough. He apparently rented a car to two individuals last summer, who were caught bringing weapons into Canada.

The two individuals were residents of the Toronto area, Ali Dirie, 22, and Yasin Mohamed, 23. On Saturday August 13 they were caught during a routine vehicle search crossing back into Canada, with handguns and ammunition strapped to their bodies.

Ahmad Mustafa Ghany, 21, and Zakaria Amara, 20, who were brothers-in-law from Missisauga were among those arrested. Tthe Imam at Scarborough, Aly Hindy said: "I think they have it wrong. Those guys have nothing to do with (terrorism)."

The arrested adults all live in southern Ontario or Toronto. Jahmaal James, 23, Asin Mohamed Durrani, 19, Steven Vikash Chand, alias Abdul Shakur, 25 were picked up from Toronto.

Asad Ansari, 21,Saad Khalid, 19, Shareef Abdelhaleen, 30, and Qayyum Abdul Jamal, 43, were picked up from Mississauga. Mohammed Dirie,22, and Yasim Abdi Mohemed, 24, come from Kingston.

Assistant commissioner Mike McDonell of the RCMP, speaking today on the 17 people arrested, said: "This group took steps to acquire three tons of ammonium nitrate and other components necessary to create explosive devices."

Only a third of this quantity had been employed in the attack by Timothy McVeigh on the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma on April 1995. This caused the frontage of the building to collapse, killed 168 individuals and injured at least 800.

400 police had been involved in the operation. The arrests of 12 people had happened on Friday night (June 2) with the others apparently happening today.

Canada passed new terrorism laws shortly after the events of 9/11, 2001. The first person to be charged under these statutes was Mohammad Momin Khawaja, who was involved with a British terror group. He had been born in Canada to Pakistani parents on April 14, 1979. He was arrested on March 29 2004, and charged on April 1, 2004, but was still held in detention a year later. He had met with Junaid Babar and Haroon Rashid Aswat in London on February 2004. He is still in detention in Ottowa, awaiting trial.

FBI Special Agent Richard Kilko, who suggested a possible link between those arrested and two Georgia "jihadists", said: "The FBI is aware of the ongoing law enforcement activity in Canada. There is preliminary indication that some of the Canadian subjects may have had limited contact with the two people recently arrested from Georgia."

Canadian officials today showed evidence of bomb manufacturing materials. These included a cellular phone connected to an apparent explosives detonator inside a toolbox, a computer hard drive, camouflage uniforms and a door with bullet holes.

The men are thought to have trained at a camp north of Toronto, and had, according to the Star, plotted to attack Canada's spy agency offices in downtown Toronto, amongst other targets. Authorities today refused to confirm or deny these reports. However, they did deny other news reports, which had suggested that Toronto's subway had been a potential target.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at June 3, 2006 5:26 PM

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