Members of an alleged homegrown terror cell appeared in a Brampton courtroom Saturday to face chargers they plotted to attack Canadian targets in Southern Ontario.
In a series of raids Friday, police arrested 12 adults and five young offenders. In the process, they seized enough ammonium nitrate fertilizer to build an explosive device three times more devastating than the one used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
"This group presented a real and serious threat. They had the capacity and intent to carry out a terrorist attack," said RCMP Asst. Commissioner Mike McDonell.
"Our investigation and arrests prevented the assembly of explosive devices and attacks being carried out. At all times, the focus of our investigation was the safety and protection of the public," he added.
Ammonium nitrate, when mixed with fuel, is highly explosive. Police seized three tonnes of the substance. By comparison, the bomb made by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols that destroyed the federal building in Oklahoma City used one tonne of the fertilizer.
In addition, police also seized ignition devices, guns and other equipment they say pointed to the construction of the explosives.
Fifteen of the 17 accused were ushered into the Brampton, Ont. courtroom shackled in leg irons and surrounded by an awesome show of police force.
Security was tight with police snipers watching from positions on the roof, while tactical officers carrying M16 assault rifles and MP5 submachine guns patrolled the ground. Bomb-sniffing dogs were on hand.
Spectators were scrutinized at a series of three command checkpoints. Anyone allowed inside the court was required to remove their shoes and demonstrate that any equipment they carried was what it appeared to be.
The accused, dressed casually in jeans or jogging pants and t-shirts, sported traditional Muslim male beards. Most were Canadian citizens or residents.
Police described them as coming from a broad "strata" of society. Some are students, some are employed, some are unemployed. The adults range in age from 19 to 43.
The court appearance culminated two remarkable days of police raids conducted by the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team, or INSET. These arrests were the largest ever made since the inception of INSET.
Defence lawyer Rocco Galati, who was representing some of the suspects, protested the intense security measures at the court. He asked that security be diminished when the accused next make their next court appearance on Tuesday.
Outside the courtroom, Mr. Galati a veteran of terrorism cases, scoffed at the allegations.
"I've seen fertilizer for the last eight years," he said, commenting on the strength of previous cases by the government that he has fought against.
In court, Mr. Galati was accompanied by Aly Hindy, a Toronto imam and friend of the highly-controversial Khadr family, who have well-established connections to al-Qaeda.
Mr. Hindy, a controverisial Iman, leads an Islamic centre in Scarborough, said he knew several of the accused because they prayed at his mosque but said they were not terrorists.
"He said the charges are to keep George Bush happy, that's all."
No new information about the allegations were read into court, but it was noted that the alleged conspiracy dated back to March 2005. It was also revealed that some terror training may have taken place in Fort Erie, Ont. near the U.S. border and at location north of Toronto near Barrie, Ont.,
Lawyers for the accused, asked that their clients be provided with a Koran, and in one case prescription eyewear.
In a statement, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the arrests showed that Canadians are not immune to acts of terrorism.
"Today, Canada's security and intelligence measures worked. Canada's new government will pursue its efforts to ensure the national security of all Canadians," said Mr. Harper.
The RCMP says the sweep began Friday night in co-operation with an Integrated National Security Enforcement Team, or INSET. These arrests are the largest ever made since the inception of INSET.
