Two men arrested over ‘al-Qaeda inspired’ plan to attack a Via Rail train in Toronto area: RCMP
Peter J. Thompson / National Post RCMP Officers escort a man in shackles from a plane at Buttonville Airport in Ontario, Monday April 22, 2013
The
RCMP arrested two men Monday in connection with an “al-Qaeda-inspired”
plan to attack a Via Rail train in the Toronto area, which they said
could have led to innocent people being killed or injured.
An international investigation disrupted the scheme before there was an “imminent threat” to the public, said James Malidza, an RCMP assistant commissioner, told a news conference.
The two accused, Chiheb Esseghaier, from Montreal, and Raed Jaser, from Toronto, were charged with conspiring to carry out an attack and commit murder at the direction of or in association with a terrorist group.
The men are not Canadian citizens but police refused to say how they came to be in this country or where they are from originally.
The plot was to derail the train somewhere in the Toronto area, and the two accused had allegedly been watching trains and railways in preparation.
The plan received “direction and guidance” from an element of
al-Qaeda based in Iran, said the force, refusing to elaborate. That
connection with the Islamic terrorist organization made the plot
particiularly significant, said Asst. Supt. Malidza.
However, officers said there was no evidence the plan was in any way “state-sponsored.”
The RCMP generally released few details of the intended attack, including of exactly how the alleged terrorists intended to carry out the derailment, or what triggered the investigation.
“Each and every terrorist arrest the RCMP makes sends a message and illustrates our strong resolve to root out terrorist threats and keep Canadians and our allies safe,” stated Assistant Commissioner James Malizia, responsible for Federal Policing Operations. “A meaningful response to these threats begins on Canadian streets and in Canadians homes and the RCMP works with all their partners, including communities across Canada, in the fight against terrorism.”
A silver propeller plane carrying an alleged suspect touched down at Buttonville Municipal Airport at 3:20 p.m. on Monday. Two uniformed RCMP officers emerged, followed by two other men carrying laptop bags. The apparent accused appeared accompanied by another officer. He was in handcuffs and shackles, blue jeans and sneakers, and wearing a windbreaker. He did not respond to a reporter’s shouted questions.
One of the men carrying laptops also declined to talk, walking past without saying a word.
The suspect was bundled into a black Chevy Suburban with tinted windows and whisked from the tarmac.
The arrests come at a time of heightened public concern over terrorism following the bombings in Boston as well as recent revelations over the involvement of radicalized Canadian youths in overseas terrorist groups.
An online resume for a man by the name of Chiheb Esseghaier – with no confirmation he is the accused – suggests the man is a Tunisian born engineer, earned a degree in Industrial biology from the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées et de Technologie, also known as INSAT, run by the University of Quebec, in Tunisia in 2007.
Mr. Esseghaier then went on to pursue Masters studies in Industrial Biotechnology, earning that degree in 2008, according to what appears to be a blog-based biography.
Then he moved to Sherbrooke University to do a research project on something called “SPR biosensor and gallium arsenide semi-conductor bifunctionnalization,” before returning to the INRS to pursue a phD developing optical and electrochemical biosensors, according to the resume. His LinkedIn page said he is still a student, having started his phD studies in 2010.
With files from Joe O’Connor, Stewart Bell, Sarah Boesveld
An international investigation disrupted the scheme before there was an “imminent threat” to the public, said James Malidza, an RCMP assistant commissioner, told a news conference.
The two accused, Chiheb Esseghaier, from Montreal, and Raed Jaser, from Toronto, were charged with conspiring to carry out an attack and commit murder at the direction of or in association with a terrorist group.
The men are not Canadian citizens but police refused to say how they came to be in this country or where they are from originally.
The plot was to derail the train somewhere in the Toronto area, and the two accused had allegedly been watching trains and railways in preparation.
Peter J. Thompson / National Post RCMP Officers escort a man from a plane at Buttonville Airport in Ontario, Monday April 22, 2013
However, officers said there was no evidence the plan was in any way “state-sponsored.”
The RCMP generally released few details of the intended attack, including of exactly how the alleged terrorists intended to carry out the derailment, or what triggered the investigation.
“Each and every terrorist arrest the RCMP makes sends a message and illustrates our strong resolve to root out terrorist threats and keep Canadians and our allies safe,” stated Assistant Commissioner James Malizia, responsible for Federal Policing Operations. “A meaningful response to these threats begins on Canadian streets and in Canadians homes and the RCMP works with all their partners, including communities across Canada, in the fight against terrorism.”
A silver propeller plane carrying an alleged suspect touched down at Buttonville Municipal Airport at 3:20 p.m. on Monday. Two uniformed RCMP officers emerged, followed by two other men carrying laptop bags. The apparent accused appeared accompanied by another officer. He was in handcuffs and shackles, blue jeans and sneakers, and wearing a windbreaker. He did not respond to a reporter’s shouted questions.
One of the men carrying laptops also declined to talk, walking past without saying a word.
The suspect was bundled into a black Chevy Suburban with tinted windows and whisked from the tarmac.
The arrests come at a time of heightened public concern over terrorism following the bombings in Boston as well as recent revelations over the involvement of radicalized Canadian youths in overseas terrorist groups.
An online resume for a man by the name of Chiheb Esseghaier – with no confirmation he is the accused – suggests the man is a Tunisian born engineer, earned a degree in Industrial biology from the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées et de Technologie, also known as INSAT, run by the University of Quebec, in Tunisia in 2007.
Mr. Esseghaier then went on to pursue Masters studies in Industrial Biotechnology, earning that degree in 2008, according to what appears to be a blog-based biography.
Then he moved to Sherbrooke University to do a research project on something called “SPR biosensor and gallium arsenide semi-conductor bifunctionnalization,” before returning to the INRS to pursue a phD developing optical and electrochemical biosensors, according to the resume. His LinkedIn page said he is still a student, having started his phD studies in 2010.
With files from Joe O’Connor, Stewart Bell, Sarah Boesveld
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