2006 Toronto terrorism case

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The 2006 Toronto terrorism case refers a series of counter-terrorism raids in the Greater Toronto Area that resulted in the June 2, 2006 arrest of 18 alleged members of a purported Islamic terrorist cell plotting a variety of attacks against targets in Ontario, Canada.

Authorities said that "the internet played a large role in the suspects' planning".[1] and to date seven of the alleged terrorists, including one originally deemed to have been the "ringleader", have been released, while one juvenile has been convicted but released for time served,[2][3] and a man has pled guilty to intentions to cause an explosion.[4]

The arrests, initially lauded as a blow against an al-Qaeda inspired cell of radicalized youth, later became steeped in controversy. The roles of two informants were made public, amidst allegations they "perhaps provoked" the youths to make militant statements.[5] Mubin Shaikh and another unidentified man had been paid a total of $4.5 million, and were granted legal immunity to "knowingly facilitate a terrorist activity" and asked to act as "moles" in the group, leading to accusations that they had "urged them to act, then sat back and counted [their] cash while the others went to jail".[6][7]

Although the main witness in the legal proceeding stated that "the case is not as strong as suggested",[8] and allegations the media may have resorted to sensationalism in exaggerating the threat posed by the individuals,[9] the majority of Ontario residents continue to believe the group posed a "real threat".[10]

Contents

[edit] Alleged role of provocateurs

A month after the arrests, the Toronto Star reported that a well-known member of Toronto's Islamic community had infiltrated the alleged terrorist cell while on the police payroll as an informant and that another mole had been involved in setting up the purchase of the phony ammonium nitrate.[11]

On November 27, 2005 - Shaikh had met with members of the alleged terrorist plot at an information meeting at the Taj Banquet Hall regarding the controversial use of security certificates in the country, and began his "infiltration" of the group.[12] He was allegedly told that several friends had planned a camping trip in Orillia, and asked Shaikh if he would come with them and teach them how to use a gun, since he mentioned his military training and later showed them his Possession and Acquisition License.[12][13]

A major incident leading to the arrests, two camping trips were classified as "terrorist training", while defense lawyers argued that police informant Mubin Shaikh had "helped organise and operate"[14] the men and youth he described as "prone to irrationality".[13] Shaikh gave firearms lessons to the accused, but also purchased a rifle and ammunition for the group, ostensibly at their request.[5]

While some media outlets were quick to report that this "training" had included automatic weapons, it was later reported that the sounds had in fact been paintball guns fired by the youths.[15]

A second man who cannot be identified, in his 20s, was placed in witness protection after he agreed to help the Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrange a phony ammonium nitrate purchase on behalf of the youths, which led to the allegations of a bomb plot.[16][14]

A third man, Qari Kafayatullah, was an Afghan immigrant who frequently told the youths that he had knowledge of explosives, and convinced their parents to let them attend the upcoming December camp - promising that it was just a bit of fun for the young men, and that he would be the responsible adult present - even though there was never any indication he later attended.[17]

[edit] Orillia camping trip

The trip was to Orillia, Ontario for a period of 12 days during Christmas break from school.[13][18] It was monitored by more than 200 police officers.[19]

Shaikh, the police agent, played a "key role" in setting up and running the trip,[20] and purchased many of the supplies used.[19] He was considered the "military trainer" at the camp.[21] He also asked campers to "acquire" camping gear for the trip, specifying later at trial that he used a specific term meaning to "take unlawfully items in support of camping. Unlawfully. Not through legal purchases."[22]

Shaikh also showed the campers how to fire an illegal 9 mm handgun and ammunition he had brought himself.[23][21] [19]He also gave "exhortational sermons on Jihad"[24] but described the camp itself as hapless and "potty training".[14] He stated that only himself and two others considered the camp to be focused on identifying "people of skill, physical and spiritual", and that its "sole function was to look for a few good men and weed out the rest" rather than perform any actual training.[23]

The camp was advertised to the campers as being a simple recreational winter camping trip.[23] The alleged ringleader of the camp also gave sermons comparing the Canadian countryside to Chechnya, and calling for victory over "Rome", which prosecutors have alleged was a reference to Canada.[22] The same leader also stated that ""We're not officially al-Qaida but we share their principles and methods" around a campfire.[25]

In 2008, videos made at the camp documenting their actions were made public, after the media obtained them through the British trial of Aabid Khan, thus working around the publication ban that forbade them from showing evidence from the Canadian trials. In addition to the paintball antics, and hikes through the snow, the video showed the youths daring each other to jump over campfires, and driving in a Canadian Tire parking lot late at night, alternatively described as "evasive driving maneuvers" or simply having fun driving doughnuts on the slippery ice. The amateur film had been dubbed with Nasheed music,[26][27] and the informant admitted that he had "choreographed" some of the scenes, arranging the campers to perform for the camera in a militant fashion.[5]

The youths would frequent the local Tim Hortons coffee shop, still dressed in their fatigues, which Shaikh mocked as demonstrating their lack of interest in remaining "low key".[14] After Qayyum Jamal had his charges dropped, he described the camping experience as "just winter camping".[28]

[edit] Rockwood camping trip

Held over two days at the Rockwood Conservation Area in May 2006,[21] the second camping trip, consisting of 10 people, came after several members had already complained about fearing that police would arrest them for having known two Americans who had just been arrested.[29]

After learning the campsite was infested with rodents, one of the accused asked whether Islamic law allowed the killing of rats and spiders.[29] A youth who cannot be named appeared in videos with the rest of the group, meant to mimic Jihadist beheading videos coming out of the Invasion of Iraq, sitting in front of a flag, and flanked by two dull hunting knives.[25] During the filming, the leader kept trying to effect giggles from the adolescents, who were trying "to look tough" for the "mock" video.[30]

Following the arrests of a number of campers, Sahl Syed came forward to police to provide information about the camp as he attended it. He was thus called as a witness for the prosecution during the trial of the under-aged suspect. However, his testimony was considered damaging to the attempt to portray the camp as an elite training camp, as he testified that the group slept in until noon, went swimming, hiking and played with inflatable watercraft, while discussing their shared plans for school and marriage.[30]

[edit] Alleged targets

The group was allegedly preparing for a large-scale terrorist attack in southern Ontario, which included detonating truck bombs at least two locations in Southern Ontario and opening fire in a crowded area. Police alleged they also made plans to storm various buildings such as the Canadian Broadcasting Centre and the Canadian Parliament building, and take hostages. According to one of the suspect's lawyers, they have been accused of planning to "behead the Prime Minister", Stephen Harper, and other leaders.[31][32][33]

Law enforcement authorities have identified other specific targets, including the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the Parliamentary Buildings' Peace Tower.[34]

The Los Angeles Times falsely reported that the youths had also planned to target American monuments in Washington D.C. and Atlanta, Georgia - but were contradicted by authorities from both countries who stated the allegations were untrue.[35]

Three years before the arrests, Canadian authorities had arrested 19 men in the Greater Toronto Area as part of a similar operation dubbed Project Thread, initially labeling them an "al-Qaeda sleeper cell" and suggesting they had been experimenting with explosives and eyeing Canadian institutions including the CN Tower, as well as targets in the United States. The charges were later found to be false, and the men were all deported on immigration charges instead.[36][14]

[edit] The arrests

The American Joint Terrorism Task Force had become involved in the investigation by March 2005.[37]

The raids were carried out by an inter-agency task force, the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET), which coordinated the activities of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), and other police forces, as the operation was spread across several different jurisdictions in southern Ontario, in the area north of Toronto. Each of the 400 police involved in the arrests was required to sign a confidentiality pledge under Canada's Security of Information Act but news of the arrests was leaked to the Toronto Star.

The police state that one of the arrested men, 20-year-old Ali Imran, ordered three metric tonnes (6600 pounds) of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, a potentially powerful ingredient often used as quarry and mining explosives. This weight has widely been compared to the amount of ammonium nitrate used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing in the United States. The official account estimates the ammonium nitrate in the Oklahoma City bomb at 2000 pounds, or about 0.9 metric tons. Therefore, this scale comparison should be interpreted cautiously, as the true amount seized in the arrests could be as little as 38% more, to over 200% more, than was used in Oklahoma City. There was never any serious chance of danger or harm as a harmless substance was substituted for the ammonium nitrate and delivered to the men by the RCMP in a sting operation.

In a press conference held after the arrests, the RCMP said that the CSIS had been monitoring the individuals since 2004, joined by the RCMP last year,[38] and that the individuals had planned to blow up unidentified targets in southern Ontario. The suspects, all adherents to Islam, were alleged by CSIS to have been inspired by Al-Qaeda.[39] A direct connection seems unlikely, as none of the suspects are known to be affiliated with the organization.[40] Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, was informed of the raids, as were other political, security and police leaders across Ontario. The investigation started with intelligence officials monitoring Internet chat sites. The suspects were charged under the anti-terrorism legislation passed by Canadian parliament in December 2001 in response to the September 11 attacks in the United States. The June 2 and 3 arrests were only the second time the legislation has been used, and marked one of the largest anti-terrorism arrests in North America.

Two men, Yasim Mohamed and Ali Dirie, were already serving a two-year prison sentence for trying to smuggle a pair of handguns across the Peace Bridge a year earlier, for "personal protection" for themselves since they had worked as designer clothing re-sellers in seedy neighborhoods. They had their charges upgraded to "importing weapons for terrorist purposes" after it was revealed that their third handgun had been meant to repay Ahmad who had used his credit card to pay for their rental car. [41][42]

The day after the arrests, the suspects were brought to the A. Grenville and William Davis Courthouse in Brampton which had been turned into an "armed camp", where visitors were pushed through three "command checkpoints" by tactical officers carrying M16 and MP5 firearms and complemented by bomb-sniffing dogs.[43]

The arrested suspects were held in segregation in unit 1K, away from the general population of the Maplehurst Correctional Complex, despite complaints from their lawyers that it was unfair and the suspects should have access to the same social programs as other accused prisoners in the system.[44]

[edit] The suspects

The identities of the five minors were legally protected by Canada's Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Six of the 17 men arrested have ties to the Al Rahman Islamic Center near Toronto, a Sunni mosque.[45] Another two of those arrested were already serving time in a Kingston, Ontario, prison on weapons possession charges.[48] According to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) two other men, Syed Ahmed and Ehsanul Sadequee, who were recently arrested in Georgia in the United States on terrorism charges are connected to the case as well.[49]

John Thompson, an analyst with the Mackenzie Institute, summarized the young suspects stating "These are kids at a transition... unsure of their own identity...They're just young and stupid. If you're 17, bored, restless, you want to meet girls - hey, be a radical."[1]

[edit] Impact

On the night following the arrests, the Rexdale, Toronto mosque was vandalized, as windows were smashed across the building as well as the cars in the parking lot.[35] Similar vandalism was reported at a mosque in Etobicoke.[50]

The arrests sparked several comments by politicians in the United States regarding the security of Canada, as well that of the United States. Congressman Peter King was reported on June 6 to have said that "there's a large al-Qaeda presence in Canada … because of their very liberal immigration laws, because of how political asylum is granted so easily",[51] without providing evidence to support his statement.

John Hostettler, American chairman of the House Judiciary subcommittee on Border Security said the arrest illustrated that "South Toronto" served as a "enclave for radical discussion", where people held "a militant understanding of Islam". His comments were widely criticized in Canada, as there is no area of Toronto known as "South Toronto", as the downtown core of the city sits immediately above the shores of Lake Ontario, and none of the suspects were even from the downtown core. Both Canada's Conservative government and the Liberal opposition condemned the "completely uninformed and ignorant remarks".[52][53]

Although CSIS originally stated that the group had no interest in Canada's role in the invasion of Afghanistan,[43] five days after the arrest they reversed course and stated that the intent was to take politicians hostage until the country agreed to withdraw its troops.[54] The day after the new position, media outlets began reporting that the plot had been "directly tied" to an attempt to force an end to Canadian involvement in the American-led Invasion of Afghanistan.[55]

[edit] Reporting controversy

The initial reports of this incident caused some controversy when a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer, Mike McDonell, described the arrested people as representing a "broad strata" of Canadian society[56] and the Toronto Star claimed that it is "difficult to find a common denominator" among them[56], even though all were Muslims and many attended the same mosque. Some individuals in the media, such as Andrew C. McCarthy in National Review, have described this as a tendency of the police and media to whitewash a role of militant Islam in contemporary terrorism.[57] Despite a scarcity of information due to a publication ban, an online documentary entitled "Unfair Dealing: The Toronto Homegrown 'Terror' Threat" raised a series of issues around the case.[58]

The media coverage of the arrests was accused of bringing to light underlying racism in Canadian media, after a number of incidents including the Globe and Mail newspaper's use of the term "brown-skinned young men" in describing the men who had rented a storage unit.[59]

Imam Aly Hindy, who knew nine of the accused youths personally, said he had doubts that any of them "did anything wrong", adding that "If some of them are guilty, I don't think it's terrorism. It may be criminal, but it's not terrorism."[35]

[edit] Court proceedings

A preliminary hearing initially started June 4, for the remaining 14 terrorism suspects, was halted by the Crown Attorney on September 24, 2007. The case was to proceed directly to trial. The move (called a "preferred indictment" or a "direct indictment") meant the defense counsel could not hear the balance of the testimony of the Crown's key witness, police informant Mubin Shaikh, who was in the middle of testifying. Another police informant was scheduled to take the stand next.

A preferred direct indictment means that the proceedings against all 14 adults are stayed and a new proceeding against them has begun. As a result, the accused were all re-arrested, including the fourteen who were out on bail, re-charged and they will now have to apply for new bail hearings. And under a direct indictment, the case will go directly to trial without a preliminary hearing.[60]

At the opening trial, against the sole remaining youth, prosecutors alleged that comments that referred to "shotgun on Blondie" were actually a pretext to sexually assault non-Muslims.[61]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Dube, Rebecca Cook. Christian Science Monitor, Canada faces jihad generation, June 6 2006
  2. ^ Babbage, Maria. Canadian Press, Youth convicted in terror plot gets 2.5 years, likely to be released later today, May 22, 2009
  3. ^ CTV News, Alleged ring leader in Ont. terror case gets bail
  4. ^ Blatchford, Christie. Globe and Mail, Shocking turnaround as accused pleads guilty in Toronto bombing plot, May 6, 2009
  5. ^ a b c Austen, Ian. New York Times, "At Canada Terror trial, the accused take on a less sinister cast", September 25, 2008
  6. ^ MacLean's magazine, The Mounties' man in the Toronto terror bust admits a cocaine habit, Sept. 10, 2007.
  7. ^ Friscolanti, Michael. Macleans, The four-million dollar rat, February 7, 2007
  8. ^ TheFacesBehind.net, Mubin Shaikh:CSIS Informant, Key Witness, April 2008
  9. ^ Kutty, Faisal, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, Toronto arrests spark debate about Muslim extremism, August 2006
  10. ^ Angus Reid, Ontarians believe Toronto 18 Terror Plot was a real threat, July 8, 2008
  11. ^ CBC News Indepth: Toronto Bomb Plot
  12. ^ a b Singh, Gurmukh. The Indian News, Bomb-laden trucks planned in Toronto terror plot, June 11, 2008
  13. ^ a b c PBS, Frontline, Canada: The Cell Next Door, January 30, 2007
  14. ^ a b c d e CBC, Informant says militant training camp was 'potty training' exercise, June 11 2008
  15. ^ Wattie, Chris. National Post, "Automatic Gunfire Aroused Suspicions", June 5, 2006
  16. ^ El Akad, Omar. Globe and Mail, Online leaks get around publication ban, June 2, 2007
  17. ^ Freeze, Colin. Globe and Mail, Was imam another informant in Toronto terror plot?, January 16 2007
  18. ^ Alleged Toronto terror plot detailed in court
  19. ^ a b c Teotino, Isabel. Toronto Star, "Terror camp police mole on his own, court told", February 6, 2009
  20. ^ Freeze, Colin. Globe and Mail, RCMP agent concedes key role in set-up, running of terrorist training camp, January 31, 2009
  21. ^ a b c Wark, Wesley. Ottawa Citizen, The beginning of terrorism, August 9 2008
  22. ^ a b Brean, Joseph. National Post, 'We weren't out there picking daisies', June 10 2008
  23. ^ a b c Toronto Star, Suspect told 'terrorist camp' was camping trip, March 26, 2008
  24. ^ Leong, Melissa. National Post, Ontario terror case far from over, June 2 2007
  25. ^ a b National Post, [1], September 25 2008
  26. ^ National Post, Video of alleged Ont. terror group released, September 18 2008
  27. ^ http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2008/09/19/defence-video.html
  28. ^ CBC, As It Happens, Interview with Qayyum Jamal, April 15, 2008
  29. ^ a b http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=569571
  30. ^ a b Walkom, Thomas. Toronto Star, Crown's linchpin shakes case, June 25 2008
  31. ^ [2]
  32. ^ CNN.com - Lawyer: Government says terror plans included beheading - Jun 7, 2006
  33. ^ Terror suspects plotted two separate attacks
  34. ^ globeandmail.com: National
  35. ^ a b c Thomas, Vanessa and Make Becker. Buffalo News, A portrait of terrorist suspects, June 5, 2006
  36. ^ Toronto18.com, Frequently Asked Questions
  37. ^ Berger, J. M. Intelwire.com. Al Qaeda Figures Lurk in Shadows Around Toronto Terror Cell, June 3 2006
  38. ^ CTV.ca | RCMP arrests 17, foiling alleged Ont. bomb plot
  39. ^ 17 held in terror plot in Canada -DAWN - Top Stories; June 04, 2006
  40. ^ 17 Held in Plot to Bomb Sites in Ontario - New York Times
  41. ^ Friscolanti, Michael. Macleans, The Terrorist who Wasn't, May 5 2008
  42. ^ Bell, Stewart. National Post, After escaping war in Somalia, terror suspects grew up in Toronto, June 5 2006
  43. ^ a b Bonnell, Gregory. CNews, Major terror bust in Ontario, June 3 2006
  44. ^ Shephard, Michelle. Toronto Star, Surviving an ordeal by isolation, April 3, 2007
  45. ^ a b Six of 17 Arrested in Canada's Antiterror Sweep Have Ties to Mosque Near Toronto - New York Times
  46. ^ globeandmail.com
  47. ^ Metro
  48. ^ Six of 17 Arrested in Canada's Antiterror Sweep Have Ties to Mosque Near Toronto - New York Times
  49. ^ The News channel » Propeller
  50. ^ DePalma, Antony. New York Times, Six of 17 arrested in Canada's anti-terror sweep have ties to mosque near Toronto, June 5, 2006
  51. ^ globeandmail.com: World
  52. ^ Ljunggren, David. Reuters, "Canada slams "ignorant" US comments on security", June 9 2006
  53. ^ globeandmail.com: National
  54. ^ Shepherd, Michelle & Bruce Campion-Smith. Toronto Star, "Plan to behead PM", June 7, 2006
  55. ^ Green, Jennifer. Edmonton Journal, Attacks are directly tied to our mission in Afghanistan, June 8 2006
  56. ^ a b "The ties that bind 17 suspects?". Toronto Star. June 4, 2006. 
  57. ^ Andrew C. McCarthy on At War & Media on National Review Online
  58. ^ Law is Cool » Unfair Dealing - Another Independent Documentary
  59. ^ Fisk, Robert, The Independent, How racism has invaded Canada, June 10 2006
  60. ^ Teotonio, Isabel (2007-09-24). "Homegrown terror case goes to trial". The Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/260004. Retrieved on 2007-09-24. 
  61. ^ Walkom, Thomas. Toronto Star, Canada's terrorist shoplifter, May 27, 2009

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