Updated
No one and no country are safe from the terrorism of radical jihadists. Today we get word that Canadian officials have arrested seventeen would be terrorists who were intent on carrying out al Qaeda inspired attacks.
The AP is reporting:
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said they arrested 12 male adults and five youth and foiled plans for terrorist attacks against targets in southern Ontario.
Officials showed evidence of bomb making materials, a computer hard drive, camouflage uniforms and what appears to be a door with bullet holes in it at a news conference Saturday morning.
“This group took steps to acquire three tons of ammonium nitrate and other components necessary to create explosive devices,” said assistant Royal Canadian Mounted Police commissioner Mike McDonell said.
McDonell said that is three times the amount used to blow up the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
The arrests were made Friday, with some 400 officers involved.
McDonell said the suspects were either citizens or residents of Canada and had trained together.
“The men arrested yesterday are Canadian residents from a variety of backgrounds. For various reasons they appeared to have become adherents of a violent ideology inspired by al-Qaida,” said Luc Portelance, the assistant director of operations with CSIS _ Canada’s spy agency.
Heavily armed police officers ringed the Durham Regional Police Station in the city of Pickering, just east of Toronto, as the suspects were brought in late Friday night in unmarked cars which were drove into an underground garage.
The Toronto Star reported Saturday that Canadian youths in their teens and 20s, upset at the treatment of Muslims worldwide, were among those arrested.
The newspaper said they had trained at a camp north of Toronto and had plotted to attack CSIS’s downtown office near the CN Tower, among other targets.
From the Toronto Star:
A list of the adults arrested and charged with terrorism-related offences under the Criminal Code. Five youths, who cannot be named, were also charged:
1. Fahim Ahmad, 21, Toronto;
2. Zakaria Amara, 20, Mississauga, Ont.;
3. Asad Ansari, 21, Mississauga;
4. Shareef Abdelhaleen, 30, Mississauga;
5. Qayyum Abdul Jamal, 43, Mississauga;
6. Mohammed Dirie, 22, Kingston, Ont.;
7. Yasim Abdi Mohamed, 24, Kingston;
8. Jahmaal James, 23, Toronto;
9. Amin Mohamed Durrani, 19, Toronto;
10. Steven Vikash Chand alias Abdul Shakur, 25, Toronto;
11. Ahmad Mustafa Ghany, 21, Mississauga;
12. Saad Khalid, 19, of Eclipse Avenue, Mississauga.
Stop the ACLU tells us that internet monitoring was used to snag these terrorists. I’m sure those on the left who have stamped their little feet about the NSA’s Terrorist Surveillance Program will not be pleased about its success.
Update: Steve Janke at Angry in the Great White North comments:
Watch for the effect on issues like our mission in Afghanistan, our policy on immigration, our relationship with the United States especially when it comes to security, and our attitudes to law and order in general in the days and weeks to come.
And then watch the political side, as Canadians consider which prime minister they would rather have in power in a situation like this, Stephen Harper or any of Paul Martin’s would-be successors.
Update II: Stephen Taylor reports that Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued this statement:
“This morning, Canadians awoke to the news that our law enforcement and national security agencies have arrested 17 individuals for terrorism related offences.
“These individuals were allegedly intent on committing acts of terrorism against their own country and their own people.
“As we have said on many occasions, Canada is not immune to the threat of terrorism. Through the work and cooperation of the RCMP, CSIS, local law enforcement and Toronto’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET), acts of violence by extremist groups may have been prevented.
“Today, Canada’s security and intelligence measures worked. Canada’s new Government will pursue its efforts to ensure the national security of all Canadians.”
Update III: From the Washington Post:
Canadian reports said the raids were the consequence of the arrests by the FBI of two Georgia men in April. At the time, the FBI announced the two men had met with others in Toronto to plan attacks.
This didn’t just come together overnight and I have to wonder if this bust came about because Harper took over.
But, I won’t be shocked if the far left begin to claim that the terrorists (alleged…) came together in response to Harper. Just like 9/11 came together in the short time Bush 43 was in office.
That implication goes in two directions:
A) This thing came together in the time that Harper has taken a more active stand on the GWOT;
B) This plot was going on during the ministership of Paul Martin, but it was let to go on until Harper came in and installed some steel in the spine of the Mounties and CSIS.
Neither of those, I think, is entirely accurate. Moreover, I don’t care.
Props to CSIS and the RCMP for sniffing this out and for actually placing the security of the Canadian populace ahead of the sensitivities and feelings of easily offended religious fascists.
Too bad American Communist Liberty Union, Your minions have been caught.
I suspect many Canadians will be wondering where those arrested come from? That even with exotic names like theirs’ (excepting Steven) that they are home-grown may not be very comforting..
No one and no country are safe from the terrorism of radical jihadists. Today we get word that Canadian officials have arrested seventeen would be terrorists who were intent on carrying out al Qaeda inspired attacks.
I thought we were fighting them there so we don’t have to fight them here? Shouldn’t these guys be in Iraq?
Stop the ACLU tells us that internet monitoring was used to snag these terrorists. I’m sure those on the left who have stamped their little feet about the NSA’s Terrorist Surveillance Program will not be pleased about its success.
Well, first this was not the success of the NSA surveillance program, but rather of the Canadian CSIS, and second, I doubt it considering the internet monitoring was of things posted on the internet:
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.
—
The investigation began back in 2004, when CSIS was monitoring Internet sites and tracing the paths of Canadians believed to have ties to international terrorist organizations. Local youths espousing fundamentalist views drew special attention, sources say.
Yes indeed, monitoring websites, assessing threats, and following through on leads. This is somewhat different from monitoring what every citizen does on the internet. Anyway, please point me to someone on the left who objects to the government monitoring people who post terrorist threats on the internet. Just one link will do.
Hmmmmm.
http://michellemalkin.com/archives/005321.htm
Looks like the Times of London has decided that they’re going to smear the Marines even more by posting a photo of Iraqis murdered by terrorists and then captioning the photo as if the Marines had done it.
Frankly I’m really getting tired of this crap. IMHO if any Marines are injured or killed stemming from this crap, I say we get the AG to arrest the guy responsible and charge him with murder.
It’s time the MSM paid the price for their perverted partisanship. And it’s also time for our lefty friends here to make a stand.
Are you really for the troops? Or are you just spouting bullshit?
Right on Ed
That is in my view the whole shebang here. the terrorists know they can use the media any which way they want.
Just go into some Iraqi’s house and murder them all,take some pictures or video and say the military did it and would’nt you know it the MSM buy it because they want it to be true!
The whole thing is sick! the msm suck.
They have Muslim type names. Gee, who would have ever thought. Must be one of those once in a life time coincidence things. Oh, I mean second in a lifetime. Or, ah, ah.
Indeed. Not a Jones in the bunch.
Hmmmm.
Frankly I’m begining to wonder if the safest country in the world is the one that doesn’t allow muslims.
Anybody know where that is?
Antarctica
Not a Mosque in sight!