Captive in Canada

Former bomb plot suspect thought arrest was a terrible mistake

Source: CBC News - 18-apr-08

When police raided Quayyam Abdul Jamal’s house in the summer of 2006 and arrested him on terrorism charges, he says, he thought it was all just a terrible mistake.

It was the evening of June 2, when hundreds of officers descended on the homes of five youths and 10 men in Toronto and the nearby city of Mississauga, alleging they were all part of a home-grown terror cell. But that evening, Jamal says, he had no idea that he would spend the next year and a half behind bars. The first indication of what lay ahead came when he caught a glimpse of a TV newscast at the police station.

“I saw the TV, and they were saying something about four tons of explosives,” Jamal told CBC News in an interview aired Wednesday.

“That shocked me, and then I realized there’s something serious here I’ve been dragged into.”

Full Story | April 18th, 2008 News | no comments | Email it! | 144 views

The incredible shrinking terror case

Source: Toronto Star - 18-apr-08

Charges stayed against seven (7) of the Toronto-18

Once labelled Canada’s first homegrown, Islamist terror plot, the case of the so-called Toronto 18 is quietly melting away.

With yesterday’s decision to stay charges against four more of those that it had once labelled dangerous terrorists, the federal government is now admitting that it never had a serious case against almost half of the men and youths charged two years ago.

So far, the Crown has stayed charges against seven of the 18 Toronto-area Muslim males. While technically, that means it could re-lay charges within a year, legal experts call such a move unlikely.

Full Story | April 18th, 2008 News | no comments | Email it! | 111 views

Wife of release suspect seeks lawsuit

Source: Toronto Star - 17-apr-08

Wife of released Toronto terror suspect seeks suit over husband’s 17 months in jail

The wife of a homegrown terror suspect whose name was cleared this week after he spent 17 months in jail, many in solitary confinement, said yesterday she wants to launch a lawsuit that would be the “biggest shame and scandal” on the Canadian government.

Full Story | April 17th, 2008 News | no comments | Email it! | 117 views

So-called terror zealot vindicated

Source: Toronto star - 16-apr-08

Just 11 accused remain in ‘Toronto 18′ case

Nearly two years ago, when police busted an alleged homegrown terror cell, Qayyum Abdul Jamal was portrayed as the firebrand ringleader seeking recruits for jihad.

Today, he says, he hopes to piece together a reputation left in tatters after being accused of belonging to the so-called Toronto 18, a group of men and teens who allegedly plotted to bomb sites around Toronto.

And he hopes to repair a life changed forever when he spent 17 months in jail, 13 of them in solitary confinement.

That’s why the Crown’s surprise move yesterday to stay terrorism-related charges against Jamal and three of his co-accused is somewhat bittersweet for the 45-year-old.

Full Story | April 16th, 2008 News | one comment | Email it! | 152 views

Crown to stay charges against four of ‘Toronto 18′

Source: National Post - 15-apr-08

BRAMPTON, Ont. — Prosecutors today stayed charges against four men accused of participating in a homegrown terror cell.

Earlier today, charges were stayed against three of the men after they agreed to abide by certain court-ordered conditions for one year.

Qayyum Abdul Jamal, 45, the eldest of 18 people accused in Canada’s largest terrorist sweep, Ahmad Mustafa Ghany and Ibrahim Alkhalel Mohammed Aboud signed peace bonds, finalizing their cases in a Brampton court Tuesday morning.

The men must adhere to several restrictions including not having contact with the other accused, adhering to a curfew, and not owning a firearm.

Today, charges were stayed against a fourth individual, Yasim Mohamed. The Public Prosecution Service of Canada said it was not contemplating any further proceedings against Mr. Mohamed at this time.

Full Story | April 15th, 2008 News | no comments | Email it! | 96 views

Charges stayed against 4 more suspects in bomb plot trial

Source: CBC - 15-apr-08

In an extraordinary move, defence lawyers say Crown prosecutors have agreed to stay charges against four more suspects in the Ontario bomb plot trial.

Last year, charges against three young offenders were also stayed.

On Tuesday, in a Brampton courtroom, the Crown prosecutor asked for a stay of proceedings against four suspects - Quayyum Abdul Jamal, described in court documents as the alleged ringleader of the group, Ahmad Mustafa Ghany, Ibrahim Aboud and Yasim Mohamed.

Full Story | April 15th, 2008 News | no comments | Email it! | 97 views

Four have terror charges stayed

Source: Toronto Star - 15-apr-08

Charges have been stayed against four adults accused of belonging to a home-grown terror cell, three of whom were required to sign peace-bonds in a Brampton court this morning.

A stay in the proceedings marks one of the final chapters of what has been a lengthy ordeal since their arrests during a massive police sweep in the summer of 2006 that netted 14 men and four youths.

This marks another setback in the government’s landmark case against the so-called Toronto 18. Now, there are 11 who stand accused of belonging to what was originally called an al-Qaeda inspired cell.

Full Story | April 15th, 2008 News | no comments | Email it! | 93 views

Charges stayed against 4 in alleged Ontario terrorist plot

Source: Associated Press - 15-apr-08

TORONTO (AP) - Prosecutors agreed Tuesday not to proceed with charges against four men accused of involvement in a plot for terrorist attacks in Canada, leaving 11 of the 18 originally arrested still facing charges.

A judge approved the decision to stay proceedings against Qayyum Abdul Jamal, Ahmad Mustafa Ghany, Ibrahim Aboud and Yasim Mohamed. A stay essentially means the charges are dropped unless the prosecution reactivates them within a year.

Dan Brien, a spokesman with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, declined to say why the charges were stayed.

The four men were alleged by officials in 2006 to be part of a larger plot to storm Parliament Hill and set off bombs in Toronto and Ottawa. A defense lawyer said then that some of the 18 original suspects were charged with planning to take hostages at Parliament and possibly behead the prime minister if demands for the release of Muslim prisoners in Afghanistan were not met.

Full Story | April 15th, 2008 News | no comments | Email it! | 92 views

Charges stayed for four Canadian terror suspects

Source: Reuters - 15-apr-08

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada has set aside charges against four suspects in an alleged al Qaeda-inspired terror plot, nearly two years after their arrest, a spokesman for the federal prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday.

“If there is no further action in a one-year period then basically they have the same effect as being dropped,” said Dan Brien of the government’s decision to have the charges stayed.

Three of the men who had their charges stayed on Tuesday also signed peace bonds, which promise good behavior, set a curfew and limit their association with certain people.

Full Story | April 15th, 2008 News | no comments | Email it! | 90 views

Crown frees four in terror case

Source: Globe & Mail - 15-apr-08

The Crown has effectively dropped charges against four adult suspects in the 2006 Toronto terrorism case, sending the strongest signal yet that the portion of the case dealing with an alleged terror training camp is much weaker than first believed.

Ibrahim Aboud, Ahmad Ghany and Abdul Qayyum Jamal all signed peace bonds at a Brampton courthouse on Tuesday morning. Indictments against them were stayed later in the day.

Tuesday afternoon, lawyer Clyde Bond announced he was also staying charges against a fourth suspect, Yasim Abdi Mohamed.

Mr. Mohamed was already jailed when the June 2006 roundup occurred, and was in the process of serving a two-year sentence for smuggling a handgun across the border.

Full Story | April 15th, 2008 News | no comments | Email it! | 89 views

Four more charges stayed in alleged terror plot that captured global headlines

Source: Canadian Press - 15-apr-08

BRAMPTON, Ont. - Four men rounded up in an anti-terrorism operation that captured headlines around the world emerged from court Tuesday with all charges against them essentially dropped, further diminishing a prosecution that has seen the so-called Toronto 18 whittled down to 11.

With charges also stayed against three youth suspects and court documents alleging the bulk of the terror suspects were duped into attending a camp where daily runs to Tim Hortons were part of the regimen, defence lawyers questioned the strength of the Crown’s case against the remaining suspects.

On Tuesday, almost two years after the initial charges were laid, the judge dismissed the four men by simply saying “you’re all free to leave.”

Full Story | April 15th, 2008 News | no comments | Email it! | 91 views

Four Implicated In Toronto Terror Plot Have Charges Stayed

Source: City News - 15-apr-08

They were accused of being involved in what could have been one of the worst terror attacks to ever hit this country. But now four men implicated in crimes that were never actually committed are going free.

The so-called Toronto Terror plot saw 18 suspects arrested between June and August of 2006, charged with planning to attack some high profile Canadian targets, possibly including the CN Tower, the Toronto Stock Exchange and the TTC.

And while the case against three of them had already fallen apart, another four are now off the hook, after the Crown stayed charges against them in a Brampton courtroom on Tuesday.

Full Story | April 15th, 2008 News | no comments | Email it! | 99 views