Thursday, September 25, 2008
20-year-old convicted in Toronto terror plot
CBC News
photo courtesy of www.sweetness-light.com
An Ontario Superior Court judge has convicted a 20-year-old man of conspiring in a group plot to bomb several Canadian targets, including Parliament Hill, RCMP headquarters and nuclear power plants.
Judge John Sproat gave his ruling Thursday on the first of 11 people accused in the plot at a courthouse in Brampton, Ont., saying evidence that a terrorist conspiracy existed was “overwhelming. ”
“Planning and working toward ultimate goals that appear unattainable or even unrealistic does not militate against a finding that this was a terrorist group,” Sproat said. “I also reject the argument that [the alleged ringleader] was a hapless fanatic who posed no risk.” Sproat had heard arguments from the defence that the accused had no knowledge of the plot, which was a “jihadi fantasy” brewed by its leaders, while prosecutors maintained he was a willing participant.
Accused first to be convicted under anti-terror law
The accused, who was 17 when he committed his alleged offences and therefore cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, has become the first person in Canada to be convicted under the Anti-terrorism Act passed by the government in 2001. The accused stood motionless as the verdict was read, even as emotions overcame the man’s family members, who broke down outside the court, said CBC’s Muhammad Lila from the courthouse in Brampton.
continue reading at…………….http://www.cbc. ca/canada/ story/2008/ 09/25/toronto- terror.html
