Terrorism North of the Border Update
A story mentioned in one of my earlier posts has developed very quickly. Just about every news account and blog report has its own angle on the story.
One thing is crystal clear; Canada is not immune to terrorism. Many Canadians, my own friends and family included, felt that their country’s abstention from the war in Iraq precluded them from the dangers of Global Jihad. As it turns out this is simply not the case.
Here’s a quick rundown on what the mainstream news media are saying:
(CBS/AP):
Canada Plot Allegedly Involved PM Attack
At least one member of a group of terror suspects plotted to storm Canada’s parliament and behead officials, including the prime minister, if Muslim prisoners in Canada and Afghanistan were not released, according to charges made public Tuesday.
Toronto (AP):
Canadian Terror Probe Expands to 7 Nations
Police said Monday more arrests are likely in an alleged plot to bomb buildings in Canada, while intelligence officers sought ties between the 17 suspects and Islamic terror cells in the United States and five other nations.
Ontario (AP):
Canada Police Use Sting in Terror Arrests
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police itself delivered three tons of potential bomb-making material to a group that authorities said wanted to launch a string of attacks inspired by al-Qaida, according to a news report Sunday.
The Toronto Star said the sting unfolded when investigators delivered the ammonium nitrate to the group of Muslim Canadians, then moved in quickly on what officials called a homegrown terror ring.
Buffalo, NY (AP):
Terror Suspects Arrested in U.S. Last Year
Two men believed to be part of a terrorist ring in Canada were arrested last summer while trying to smuggle guns and ammunition from the United States, authorities said.
Mohammed Dirie, 22, and Yasin Abdi Mohamed, 24, were both in jail serving two-year sentences for weapons smuggling when they were hit with new Canadian terrorism charges Friday.
Plot began in chat room
…So when a shadowy group of disaffected urban youth began talking in an Internet chat room in the fall of 2004 espousing anti-Western views, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service was listening.
The spy agency, and an alphabet soup of other security agencies across the continent, closely monitor such sites, where talk may sometimes turn to buildings and bombs and bringing global jihad home to North America, to Canada.
Ontario (AP):
Imam: Canada Suspects Didn’t Seek Violence
Several members of a suspected terrorist ring prayed daily at a storefront mosque in a middle-class city west of Toronto but never spoke of hurting others, one of their prayer leaders said.
“I will say that they were steadfast, religious people. There’s no doubt about it. But here we always preach peace and moderation,” Qamrul Khanson, an imam at the one-room Al-Rahman Islamic Center for Islamic Education, said Sunday.
Canadian Press (via Yahoo! News):
Terrorism threat becomes reality for Canadians as cops allege homegrown plot
TORONTO (CP) - The lingering threat of global terrorism became a concrete reality for Canadians on Saturday following allegations that 17 people plotted an imminent attack with three times the explosive material used in the devastating Oklahoma City bombing.
A bag of ammonium nitrate was displayed by police as they revealed that an “inspired by al-Qaida” group of mostly Canadian citizens had amassed three tonnes of the fertilizer - commonplace in backyard gardens but also used in large quantities to make explosives for deadly ends.
“It was their intent to use it for a terrorist attack,” RCMP assistant commissioner Mike McDonell said of the homegrown plot to target unspecified institutions throughout southern Ontario.
When the news of the terror-raid broke, the blogosphere lit up all over the Web:
Stephen Taylor:
Mapping terror
Captain’s Quarter:
RCMP Foiled A Dozen Plots
Little Green Footballs:
Toronto Star: Hard to Find a Common Denominator
The Jawa Report:
Canadian Jihadi Linked to Cyberterrorist Irhabi 007
Powerline Blog:
Canadian Terror Suspects Linked to International Groups
Northeast Intelligence Network:
Missing from Kingston terror suspects in penitentiary
Global Guerillas:
Global Guerillas in Toronto?