Details emerge on suspects in Canadian terror plot

 

Details emerge on suspects in Canadian terror plot

By David BarnettApril 26, 2013

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/04/on_april_22_canadian.php

 

 

On April 22, Canadian officials said the plotting of Chiheb Esseghaier and

Raed Jaser to destroy a passenger train traveling between the United States

and Canada was linked to al Qaeda's network inside Iran.

 

The two suspects had received "support from al Qaeda elements located in

Iran" in the form of "direction and guidance," Royal Canadian Mounted Police

(RCMP) Assistant Commissioner James Malizia said. Iran's Foreign Minister

called Canadian officials' claims linking the plotters to al Qaeda

operatives in Iran "ridiculous."

 

Over the past few days, new details have emerged on the two suspects who

were taken into custody on April 22, and authorities may be preparing to

announce the arrest of additional individuals.

 

Chiheb Esseghaier

 

Chiheb Esseghaier, 30, was born in Tunisia, and is believed to be the

mastermind of the terror plot. Esseghaier, a doctoral student at the

Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) in Montreal, has a

bachelor's degree in Industrial Biology and a master's degree in Industrial

Biotechnology, according to his LinkedIn page. Esseghaier's LinkedIn page

also displayed an image of al Qaeda's black flag, which was first used by al

Qaeda in Iraq but has been adopted by other al Qaeda affiliates.

 

During his court appearance on April 23, Esseghaier, who has been in Canada

only five years, denounced the court's authority. "This criminal code is not

a holy book,"said Esseghaier, who declined a court-appointed lawyer. In

court documents, Esseghaier was listed as homeless, and he "was granted

permanent residency under Quebec's skilled worker program" in 2012,

according to the National Post.

 

Esseghaier's behavior has drawn the ire of some in the past, according to

Canadian press reports. For example, at some point after 2010, Esseghaier

ripped down posters at INRS that included a picture of a woman. In another

incident, he reportedly told another Muslim from Tunisia that they should

not pay taxes to Canadian authorities. Prior to his eviction in December,

neighbors complained that Esseghaier "prayed loudly and at all hours of the

day" in his apartment. And last spring, Esseghaier reportedly engaged in

erratic behavior during a flight to Mexico, which was monitored by

undercover surveillance officers, according to CBC News.

 

Yesterday US officials revealed to Reuters that Esseghaier had traveled to

Iran at least once in the past two years. According to Reuters, Esseghaier's

time in Iran "was directly relevant to the investigation of the alleged

plot." Additionally, sources involved in the investigation told the Toronto

Star that prior to arriving in Canada in 2008 on a student visa, Esseghaier

had met with an al Qaeda operative.

 

Raed Jaser

 

Raed Jaser, 35, was born in Abu Dhabi but never obtained UAE citizenship,

and he reportedly travels on a Jordanian passport. In 1993, the Jaser family

arrived in Canada on fake passports after claiming they had been

"terrorized" by anti-immigration groups in Germany, where they had been

living for at least two years. While his parents were not given refugee

status, according to the National Post, through Canada's "deferred program"

they were allowed to stay and eventually obtained Canadian citizenship.

 

Raed Jaser did not obtain citizenship, however, due to a criminal record

that included five counts of fraud, among other charges. In 2004, Canadian

authorities tried to deport Jaser, but "as a stateless Palestinian, he could

not be sent to any other country," the National Post reported.

 

Eight years later, Jaser was granted permanent resident status. Around the

same time he was given the new status, Jaser had a death threat conviction

from 2001 pardoned, according to the National Post.

 

In 2011, according to the Globe and Mail, the RCMP and the Canadian Security

Intelligence Service (CSIS) received reports that Jaser "was spreading

extremist propaganda to youth in Toronto." Press reports suggest that

Jaser's father, Mohammed, approached a Muslim leader in the community

between 2009 and 2011 over concerns of his son's "understanding of Islam."

 

Additional arrests on the way?

 

Recent press reports indicate that authorities may be preparing to make new

announcements related to the plot, including the possible arrest of an

individual in the United States.

 

On April 23, CTV News reported that at least two suspects in the New York

area were under surveillance but not yet arrested. On the same day, CBC News

stated that authorities were "monitoring a broader network of terrorism

suspects beyond" Esseghaier and Jaser.

 

The following day, the Globe and Mail similarly reported that "[a]uthorities

are investigating more suspects" and that the FBI had questioned a suspect

earlier this week. On the same day, the National Post reported that a case

related to Jaser and Esseghaeir "was expected to be dealt with in the

Southern District of New York" soon.

 

Yesterday the National Post reported that "the FBI is holding a third man in

New York." According to a reporter with the Wall Street Journal, the "third

man" might be "a Tanzanian national who is cooperating" and no formal

announcement regarding his arrest may occur.

 

Although the FBI has not yet confirmed the report, a US official told

Reuters that there was likely "another shoe to drop" in the case. However,

one source cautioned that "[a]t 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," according to the Toronto

Star.

 

Read more:

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/04/on_april_22_canadian.php#ixzz

2Rae1sUjM

 

==========================================

(F)AIR USE NOTICE: All original content and/or articles and graphics in this

message are copyrighted, unless specifically noted otherwise. All rights to

these copyrighted items are reserved. Articles and graphics have been placed

within for educational and discussion purposes only, in compliance with

"Fair Use" criteria established in Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976.

The principle of "Fair Use" was established as law by Section 107 of The

Copyright Act of 1976. "Fair Use" legally eliminates the need to obtain

permission or pay royalties for the use of previously copyrighted materials

if the purposes of display include "criticism, comment, news reporting,

teaching, scholarship, and research." Section 107 establishes four criteria

for determining whether the use of a work in any particular case qualifies

as a "fair use". A work used does not necessarily have to satisfy all four

criteria to qualify as an instance of "fair use". Rather, "fair use" is

determined by the overall extent to which the cited work does or does not

substantially satisfy the criteria in their totality. If you wish to use

copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you

must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to:

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

 

THIS DOCUMENT MAY CONTAIN COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL. COPYING AND DISSEMINATION IS

PROHIBITED WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT OWNERS.