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June 3, 2006

Terror cell in Canada busted

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police busted a terror cell in the Toronto area of Canada, seizing chemicals used to make explosives and weapons.

The new Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, has expressed his desire to clamp down on terrorism and to help secure the border between Canada and the USA. "Jack Hooper, deputy director of operations at CSIS, said the service was trying to keep track of "350 high-level targets" as well as 50 to 60 organizations thought to be linked to groups such as al-Qaeda.

Canadian officials believe "that an attack by militants inside Canada is inevitable. "We know who and where some of them are". God bless their efforts to prevent those attacks.

The suspects are either second-generation Canadians or recently immigrated to Canada with their families.

Sources claimed the men have no connection to al Qaeda, but were allegedly inspired by militant Islamic groups. Undercover officers made the arrests. At least 8 people were taken into custody and more than 100 police officers were involved in the sweep. Authorities admit there is an "increasing threat from "home-grown terrorists" who are assimilated into society".

The arrests were made in co-operation with the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team, Cpl. Michele Paradis, a spokeswoman for the RCMP said in a release.

The operation involved at least four police forces, CSIS and the RCMP.

According to The Toronto Star, CSIS has monitored the suspects since 2004, while the RCMP began its investigation last year.

Sources discounted earlier reports that the CN Tower and the city's subway system were allegedly potential targets by the group. source

The investigation is still ongoing and further arrests may be made. A press conference is scheduled for today.

UPDATE:  Powerline says "Preliminary reports is that those arrested are Muslims suspected of links to al Qaeda."  Powerline also has an update on the London terror arrest of yesterday:

Yesterday we noted that London police raided a house where chemical weapons of some kind were apparently being produced. Today comes the chilling news that a chemical suicide vest is believed to be missing:

    British police were searching for a "suicide vest" laced with dangerous chemicals after a raid of the alleged bomb factory yielded two suspects but no vest.

    Police think the vest has been made and will be set off at a busy bus or train station, or in a crowd watching a World Cup game in a local pub, The Times said.

In the Bullpen: 

The number arrested I keep seeing is 17.  This appears to have been the real thing busted too.  The suspects were allegedly trying to secure three tons of amonium nitrate, three times more than was used in Oklahoma City.  I have yet to hear what the intended targets were, assuming of course the CSIS knows.  There are also reports there is a small connection to two men arrested in Georgia this past February, though it's not clear how deep this connection is.

Flopping Aces:

Where it appears that Canada has finally figured out that they are not immune from Fanatical Islam:

 

   Charged are Fahim Ahmad, 21, of Toronto; Zakaria Amara, 20, of Mississauga; Asad Ansari, 21, of Mississauga; Shareef Abdelhaleen, 30, of Mississauga; Qayyum Abdul Jamal, 43, of Mississauga; Mohammed Dirie, 22, of Kingston; Yasim Abdi Mohamed, 24, of Kingston; Jahmaal James, 23, of Toronto; Amin Mohamed Durrani, 19, of Toronto; Steven Vikash Chand (alias Abdul Shakur), 25, of Toronto; Ahmad Mustafa Ghany, 21, of Mississauga; and Saad Khalid, 19, of Mississauga.

Interesting enough this group was discovered by surveilling them using the web. That's big brother for you.

    The chain of events began two years ago, sparked by local teenagers roving through Internet sites, reading and espousing anti-Western sentiments and vowing to attack at home, in the name of oppressed Muslims here and abroad.

UPDATE II:  Fox News Channel is reporting that the two Georgia Tech students recently arrested, may have had a connection with the Canadian terrorists arrested today:

Syed Haris Ahmed and Ehsanul Islam Sadequee, both U.S. citizens who grew up in the Atlanta area, met with at least three other targets of ongoing FBI terrorism investigations during a trip to Canada in March 2005, the FBI agent's affidavit said.

The affidavit said the men discussed attacks against oil refineries and military bases and planned to travel to Pakistan to get military training at a terrorist camp, which authorities said Ahmed then tried to do.

Ahmed, who was indicted on suspicion of giving material support of terrorism, was being held at an undisclosed location.

Sadequee, who is accused of making materially false statements in connection with an ongoing federal terrorism investigation, was arrested in Bangladesh and was en route to New York City to be arraigned.  source

UPDATE III via Shlemazl

Here is some background information on the suspects:

Rocco Galati, lawyer for two of the Mississauga suspects, said Ahmad Ghany is a 21-year-old health sciences graduate from McMaster University in Hamilton. He was born in Canada, the son of a medical doctor who emigrated from Trinidad and Tobago in 1955.

Shareef Abdelhaleen is a 30-year-old unmarried computer programmer of Egyptian descent, Galati said. He emigrated from Egypt at the age of 10 with his father who is now an engineer on contract with Atomic Energy of Canada, the lawyer said.

Cross Posted at Right Truth and In the Bullpen

Posted by Debbie at June 3, 2006 9:52 AM