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Militant Islam Monitor > Articles > Muslim terror plotters in Canada wanted to storm parliament and tv station take hostages and behead prime minister

Muslim terror plotters in Canada wanted to storm parliament and tv station take hostages and behead prime minister

June 6, 2006

Toronto Terror Suspects in Court
By Barry Brown
Toronto
06 June 2006
http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-06-06-voa49.cfm

Heavy security was in place as 15 of the 17 Muslim suspects in an alleged plot to bomb Canada's parliament and murder Prime Minister Steven Harper were brought to court on Tuesday.

Ahmad Mustafa Ghany is shown in this artist's sketch at the Brampton, Ontario court as one of 15 people charged in an alleged terror plot
Ahmad Mustafa Ghany is shown in this artist's sketch at the Brampton, Ontario court as one of 15 people charged in an alleged terror plot
Dramatic allegations of plots to bomb Canada's parliament and behead its prime minister were leveled against a group of alleged Muslim terrorists when they made their appearance in a Canadian courtroom Tuesday.

Security was heavy as 15 of the 17 suspects arrested in a police raid Friday were brought to a Brampton, Ontario courtroom where they faced a number of terror-related charges.

Prosecutors accuse the men of attempting to buy three tons of amonium nitrate intended to make explosives. The suspects allegedly planned to bomb Canadian landmarks, storm parliament, take politicians hostage, and make several demands, including the withdrawal of Canadian troops from Afghanistan, and the release of Muslim prisoners.

The suspects also are accused of planning to storm the offices of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) to air their demands.

Prosecutors say that, if the demands were not met, the plotters were determined to execute the politicians. One of the suspects, 25-year-old Steven Vikash Chand, boasted he would kill Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper.

Chand's lawyer, Gary Batasar, told reporters there is an allegation that his client personally wanted to behead the prime minister of Canada. But Batasar said there is no basis for the allegation.

Police say all the suspects are Canadian citizens or Canadian residents. Seven of them worshiped at the same mosque. Canadian police say they are investigating the possible link between the suspects and Islamic terror cells in several countries, including the United States.

Batasar accused Canadian and American politicians and the media of stirring up a climate of fear.

Defense lawyers say they were not allowed to meet privately with their clients, all of whom are in isolation and under 24-hour surveillance. Several lawyers said unless these conditions change, they will challenge this form of detention in court next week.

News of the arrests and alleged plots has shaken Canadians and led to some attacks on Muslim places of worship.

Tariq Abdelhaleen, father of Shareef Abdelhaleen, one of 17 Canadians charged in an alleged terror plot
Tariq Abdelhaleen, father of Shareef Abdelhaleen, one of 17 Canadians charged in an alleged terror plot
Tariq Abdelhaleen, the father of one of the suspects, told reporters his biggest concern was the behavior of the media. He said the media have already found his son guilty.

"We feel threatened by the media and all this cameras and … uncalled for," said Tariq Abdelhaleen.

Police officials say their investigation into the alleged bomb plots is ongoing and more arrests are expected.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/06/06/news/canada.php

BRAMPTON, Ontario

The foiled Canadian terrorist plot included plans for a series of violent attacks in Toronto and Ottawa, holding public officials hostage, seizing media offices and beheading Prime Minister Stephen Harper if Canadian troops were not removed from Afghanistan, a lawyer for one of the accused said in court Tuesday. The accusations - but no evidence to support them - were included in a government summary that was given to defense attorneys just before preliminary hearings began in a courtroom here Tuesday. The document was not made public. The charges, if true, would go far beyond the limited information that investigators have disclosed about a wide- ranging conspiracy among 17 radical Muslim men and youths to use homemade explosives to bomb unnamed targets in southern Ontario. The disclosure that the suspects may have targeted the government itself set off a round of introspection in Ottawa and across the country as Canadians tried to comprehended the extent of the planned violence on their own soil. Ten of the 12 men accused in the plot appeared in court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing, handcuffed and wearing white T-shirts and gray pants. All asked for bail proceedings to be postponed while their lawyers prepared their defense. Two men did not appear because they are already in prison, serving sentences for trying to bring guns into Canada illegally. Several lawyers complained that they had been unable to speak to their clients in private because of the extraordinary security surrounding them. Since shortly after they were arrested over the weekend, the men have been held in a 24-hour lockup in a maximum-security prison and prohibited from talking to their families or one another. Gary Batasar, the lawyer who disclosed the plans to attack the prime minister, said he wanted to force the government to reveal the evidence on which it had based the claims. "If the crown's attorney for the country of Canada is going to make these allegations, then certainly, before a client commences a bail hearing, we should have at least more than simply a one- page synopsis of the allegations against him," Batasar said. He asserted that he had heard of the accusations for the first time when he received the government summary that morning, and that he would need more information to prepare a rigorous defense. "We're hoping the prosecutor's office will provide us with further disclosures," he said. The accusations in the government document referred specifically to the 25-year-old man Batasar represents, Steven Vikash Chand, of Toronto, who appeared in court with shoulder-length black hair and a full beard. Chand listened to the accusations again him intently, then turned his eyes up to the ceiling. When asked whether the charges referred only to his client, Batasar said they applied to others as well, though he did not name them. The government papers lay out a multipronged series of attacks that would devastate the Canadian government and cripple its major cities, according to Batasar. The men were said to be planning to storm the Gothic Revivial buildings of Parliament and take hostages. Then they planned to behead hostages if their demands were not met for Canadian troops to be pulled out of Afghanistan and Muslim prisoners to be released. Chand was said to have remarked that he would "personally like to behead Prime Minister Stephen Harper," Batasar said. The men also targeted power lines, media offices and the CBC building in Toronto. Jim Leising, the prosecutor, did not comment on the accusations in the summary. He said he would be ready to outline the government's case on Thursday. But all of the defense lawyers have asked for more time to meet with their clients and prepare for the hearing. The actual bail hearings are not expected to be held for several weeks. BRAMPTON, Ontario The foiled Canadian terrorist plot included plans for a series of violent attacks in Toronto and Ottawa, holding public officials hostage, seizing media offices and beheading Prime Minister Stephen Harper if Canadian troops were not removed from Afghanistan, a lawyer for one of the accused said in court Tuesday. The accusations - but no evidence to support them - were included in a government summary that was given to defense attorneys just before preliminary hearings began in a courtroom here Tuesday. The document was not made public. The charges, if true, would go far beyond the limited information that investigators have disclosed about a wide- ranging conspiracy among 17 radical Muslim men and youths to use homemade explosives to bomb unnamed targets in southern Ontario. The disclosure that the suspects may have targeted the government itself set off a round of introspection in Ottawa and across the country as Canadians tried to comprehended the extent of the planned violence on their own soil. Ten of the 12 men accused in the plot appeared in court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing, handcuffed and wearing white T-shirts and gray pants. All asked for bail proceedings to be postponed while their lawyers prepared their defense. Two men did not appear because they are already in prison, serving sentences for trying to bring guns into Canada illegally. Several lawyers complained that they had been unable to speak to their clients in private because of the extraordinary security surrounding them. Since shortly after they were arrested over the weekend, the men have been held in a 24-hour lockup in a maximum-security prison and prohibited from talking to their families or one another. Gary Batasar, the lawyer who disclosed the plans to attack the prime minister, said he wanted to force the government to reveal the evidence on which it had based the claims. "If the crown's attorney for the country of Canada is going to make these allegations, then certainly, before a client commences a bail hearing, we should have at least more than simply a one- page synopsis of the allegations against him," Batasar said. He asserted that he had heard of the accusations for the first time when he received the government summary that morning, and that he would need more information to prepare a rigorous defense. "We're hoping the prosecutor's office will provide us with further disclosures," he said. The accusations in the government document referred specifically to the 25-year-old man Batasar represents, Steven Vikash Chand, of Toronto, who appeared in court with shoulder-length black hair and a full beard. Chand listened to the accusations again him intently, then turned his eyes up to the ceiling. When asked whether the charges referred only to his client, Batasar said they applied to others as well, though he did not name them. The government papers lay out a multipronged series of attacks that would devastate the Canadian government and cripple its major cities, according to Batasar. The men were said to be planning to storm the Gothic Revivial buildings of Parliament and take hostages. Then they planned to behead hostages if their demands were not met for Canadian troops to be pulled out of Afghanistan and Muslim prisoners to be released. Chand was said to have remarked that he would "personally like to behead Prime Minister Stephen Harper," Batasar said. The men also targeted power lines, media offices and the CBC building in Toronto. Jim Leising, the prosecutor, did not comment on the accusations in the summary. He said he would be ready to outline the government's case on Thursday. But all of the defense lawyers have asked for more time to meet with their clients and prepare for the hearing. The actual bail hearings are not expected to be held for several weeks.

THE MISSISSAUGA NEWS Terror suspect wanted to kill PM, court hears


http://www.mississauganews.com/mi/topstories/story/3532193p-4081521c.html

Louie Rosella Jun 6, 2006


A terrorist group headquartered in Meadowvale and with suspected ties to an international network planned to bomb Canada's Parliament buildings, take politicians hostage and demand the release of Muslim prisoners abroad, according to documents released in court yesterday.

One of the 12 adults facing terrorism charges also wanted to "personally behead the Prime Minister of Canada," according to allegations made by the federal government and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in a synopsis document.

Ten of the 12 suspects, including six men from Mississauga, appeared at the Brampton provincial courthouse yesterday for a bail hearing, but were all remanded to later dates. Nine of them next appear June 12, while one appears July 4.

Gary Batasar, the lawyer for 25-year-old Toronto resident Steven Chand, who is accused of receiving terrorist training, said the synopsis of accusations provided by the Crown included allegations that the group wanted to "storm the Parliament buildings, and "take politicians hostage."

It also indicated that the CBC building in downtown Toronto was a potential target.

Batasar told reporters outside the court his client was accused of wanting to decapitate Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Batasar said the group also allegedly planned to behead the hostages if their demands - the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and the release of Muslim prisoners - weren't met.

Batasar accused those authorities, as well as the U.S. government and President George W. Bush, of trying to instill fear in the public.

The accused have been charged under the anti-terrorism act introduced into the Criminal Code in December of 2001, a few months after the attacks of Sept. 11.

This is only the second time the terrorism laws have been used in Canada.

The arrests were made Friday night and Saturday morning in raids conducted by 400 officers and led by the RCMP's anti-terrorism task force.

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