15 of 17 Ontario terror suspects appear in court
CTV.ca News Staff
Fifteen of the 17 suspects arrested in what police allege was a homegrown terrorist bomb plot against targets in Ontario appeared in a Brampton, Ont. court Saturday afternoon.
The suspects -- 12 adult men and five youths -- were arrested in a series of raids on Friday.
The men were found to be in possession of three tons of ammonium nitrate -- fertilizer that can be mixed with fuel to create a powerful bomb. Investigators also seized weapons, military fatigues, ignition devices and other materials police allege can be used to build bombs.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the arrests foiled a potential series of bombings against targets in Southern Ontario.
"This group presented a real and serious threat. They had the capacity and intent to carry out a terrorist attack," said RCMP Asst. Commissioner Mike McDonell at a Saturday news conference.
Security was tight and many relatives of the suspects were emotional as the men, handcuffed and shackled in leg irons, made their court appearance Saturday.
"The court is hot. There are a lot of family members. There's a lot of tears, a lot of waving back and forth," CTV's Denelle Balfour, outside the courthouse, told Newsnet.
"Most of the reaction of family members is shock, and as you can imagine, some of them are very upset."
Mohammed Abdelhaleen, father of one of the suspects, told reporters: "I'm shocked. It's crazy, it's just crazy. It has no meaning whatsoever."
To enter the courthouse, Balfour said she had to go through three different security checkpoints, one manned by heavily armed officers from tactical squads. "There are snipers on the rooftops," she added.
Their next hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, when the suspects can apply for bail.
Because the investigation is ongoing, the RCMP has asked the court to order the men have no contact with each other, Balfour said.
The individuals are all residents of Canada, and "for the most part citizens of Canada," McDonell said.
"The RCMP, in co-operation with our partners through out Integrated National Security Enforcement Team here in Toronto, have arrested individuals who were planning to commit a series of terrorist attacks against solely Canadian targets in Southern Ontario," McDonell said.
Charges included participating in or contributing to the activities of a terrorist group, including training or recruiting; the commission of indictable offences, including firearms or explosives, for the benefit of a terrorist group; and providing or making available property for the purposes of terrorism.
Information about the lives of the accused has begun to trickle out. Some are university students, some are professionals and some are unemployed.
Some come from well-established families, including sons of doctors and engineers, CTV Toronto's Chris Eby reported.
Defence lawyer Rocco Galati represents two of the accused, one of whom was born in Canada and is a graduate of the medical sciences program at McMaster University in Hamilton. The other arrived here when he was 10 years old.
"My clients come from very respectful, long-standing residents of Canada, all Canadian citizens," Galati told reporters. "Both of their families are very well-established professionals, well-established families, (with) no criminal past whatsoever."
Police believe they have completely dismantled the alleged terror cell, and there was no sign of heightened security in downtown Toronto over the weeked.
Following is a list including the names, ages and cities of the men who have been arrested and can be named:
Fahim Ahmad, 21, Toronto;
Zakaria Amara, 20, Mississauga, Ont.;
Asad Ansari, 21, Mississauga;
Shareef Abdelhaleen, 30, Mississauga;
Qayyum Abdul Jamal, 43, Mississauga;
Mohammed Dirie, 22, Kingston, Ont.;
Yasim Abdi Mohamed, 24, Kingston;
Jahmaal James, 23, Toronto;
Amin Mohamed Durrani, 19, Toronto;
Steven Vikash Chand alias Abdul Shakur 25, Toronto;
Ahmad Mustafa Ghany, 21, Mississauga;
Saad Khalid, 19, of Eclipse Avenue, Mississauga.
Police allegations
Police claimed the men were prepared to make powerful bombs.
"This group took steps to acquire components necessary to create an explosive device using ammonium nitrate, which is a commonly used fertilizer," McDonell said.
"Three tonnes of ammonium nitrate was ordered by these individuals and delivered to them. It was their intent to use this for a terrorist attack."
By comparison, he said the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people was completed with only one tonne of ammonium nitrate.
The RCMP would not name any of the suspected bombing targets, but said the Toronto Transit Commission -- a network of public buses, subways and streetcars in Canada's largest city -- was not seen as a potential target.
There are reports of a possible terror training camp in central Ontario.
The Saturday press conference was attended by representatives of all the groups involved in the investigation, including the Peel, York, Durham and Toronto police services, as well as the RCMP and CSIS.
According to the Toronto Star, CSIS has monitored the suspects since 2004, while the RCMP began its investigation last year.
Luc Portelance of CSIS said the suspects come from a variety of backgrounds. Their common denominator, he said, is an adherence to a violent ideology inspired by al Qaeda.
"It is important to note that this operation in no way reflects negatively on any specific community or ethno-cultural group in Canada."
U.S. contributed to investigation: Reports
The Canadian Press cited an anonymous source who said information from the U.S. helped the investigation.
Two Americans from the Atlanta, Ga. region reported travelled to Toronto in March 2005. While there, they met with other so-called persons of interest and allegedly discussed terror training and bombing plots against military facilities and oil refineries, CP said.
"There is preliminary indication that some of the Canadian subjects may have had limited contact with the two people recently arrested from Georgia,'' FBI Special Agent Richard Kolko said in a statement.
Kolko told CP the two countries have been working together on the case for some time.