Thursday, April 25, 2013

Canadian Terror suspect Chiheb Esseghaier met with Al Qaeda operative abroad, sources say

 

Terror suspect Chiheb Esseghaier met with Al Qaeda operative abroad, sources

say

Recent "change in behaviour" triggered police to arrest Esseghaier and Jaser

on Monday, not political expediency nor the Boston bombing

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/04/25/terror_suspect_chiheb_esseghaier_met_with_al_qaeda_operative_abroad_sources_say.html

 

By: Tonda MacCharles and Michelle Shephard Published on Thu Apr 25 2013

 

The Montreal suspect accused of plotting a terrorist attack on a passenger

train allegedly met in person with an Al Qaeda operative before coming to

Canada in the summer of 2008, putting him on the radar of security officials

here, sources with knowledge of the investigation told the Star.

 

Tunisian-born Chiheb Esseghaier has been under surveillance for a year, and

police became increasingly concerned after what was seen as erratic conduct

aboard an airliner en route to Mexico last spring. The event resulted in no

charges, but worried law enforcement.

 

However, it was a recent change in behaviour that triggered police to arrest

him at a McDonald's in Montreal's Central Station and his co-accused, Raed

Jaser, at his North York workplace on Monday, not political expediency or

the Boston bombing, sources said.

 

Esseghaier appeared in a Toronto courtroom Wednesday on charges of

conspiring to derail a train on the Toronto-New York City route.

 

Appearing before a justice of the peace to hear the allegations against him,

Esseghaier refused a translator and a lawyer, and asked to speak, saying,

"We know that this Criminal Code is not a holy book."

 

"It's just written by set of creations and the creations they're not perfect

because only the creator is perfect."

 

It was a glimpse into the man whose alleged meeting abroad with a

significant Al Qaeda member set in motion a massive surveillance effort

first by CSIS and then by the RCMP.

 

It's not clear when that overseas meeting was, nor where. But the Star has

learned that Esseghaier first met Jaser at a mosque in 2009.

 

Sources confirm Jaser is of Palestinian descent and lived in the United Arab

Emirates before coming to Canada, where he has been for 20 years.

 

The London-based newspaper Al Arab reported Wednesday that Jaser used a

Jordanian passport when travelling the UAE. He was last there in September

2011, the paper said, citing unnamed sources in the Gulf.

 

How Esseghaier's behaviour changed, prompting the RCMP to suddenly arrest

the 30-year-old doctoral student and Jaser, 35, against the wishes of the

FBI is not known.

 

Law enforcement officials on this side of the border were unwilling to wait

while the FBI completed questioning of at least one individual on the U.S.

side, though RCMP insisted Monday "there was no imminent threat."

 

They hastily summoned Muslim community members in Toronto to a briefing on

Monday, followed by a nationally televised news conference to announce the

sweep, even as officers were in the midst of executing search warrants.

Those search warrants are sealed by a Brampton court order.

 

One source told the Star limited federal resources to keep a 24/7 watch on

the suspects was a factor.

 

"It was overdue. The resources it takes to monitor them and ensure they were

not a threat to public security was tremendous," said the source. "What

other evidence did we need? How much stronger does this case have to be?"

 

Another tied it solely to the question of the suspect's "behaviour that

concerned us."

 

"Boston had nothing to do with it" nor did the Canadian government's

decision to bump up a debate on a contentious anti-terror bill, the source

said.

 

If anything, the political context -with Bill S-7 suddenly thrown back into

to the Commons for debate on the day of the arrests - appears to have to

complicated matters, said one source.

 

It led Jaser's lawyer John Norris, among others, to challenge federal

authorities, forcing the government to deny it was scheduled for maximum

political pressure. The bill, already passed in the Senate, easily passed

the final Commons vote Wednesday night 183-93.

 

What is clear is the alleged direct involvement of Al Qaeda associates in

Iran or along the Afghan-Iran border, makes the case uncharted territory and

a high priority.

 

"That in itself for us is quite significant," said a source, who spoke, as

all did on condition of anonymity. "It's the first time we have a situation

where there's support or direction being provided from Al Qaeda or Al Qaeda

associates."

 

The individual declined to give details about what the alleged Al Qaeda

support entailed - whether it was financial, training, or otherwise - except

to say it was substantive and more than casual online encouragement.

 

As for the territorial reach of investigative resources, sources suggested

it is not absent, but "limited."

 

The Iranian government has vehemently denied any role direct in the alleged

plot and the RCMP said it had no evidence the plot was "state-sponsored."

 

The investigation is ongoing, as authorities are probing not just whether

the two men tried to recruit or influenced others, but "who influenced them"

in the words of one. "Anytime you're dealing with radicalization, whether it

is youth or adults, it's a significant worry," said the source.

 

One high-ranking source held out the possibility of more arrests on either

side of the border. It is not believed the plot is as broad as the 2006 case

known as the "Toronto 18," however sources say it is "premature" to say.

 

"We talk to associates, we talk to people who have come into contact with

these individuals to try to clarify whether there is something bigger than

this, all of that is still very much ongoing."

 

"At the end of the day we may end up with just two people charged, we may

end up with more, it's too premature to say well there's going to be half a

dozen or whatever."

 

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