Canada's controversial security-certificate process is being used in six ongoing cases and in one that was recently resolved.
None of the detainees has ever been charged with a crime. They face Immigration Act charges only, and deportation is the ultimate goal.
Most suspects spend years in jail battling Ottawa's attempts to send them back to their homelands. Concerns about overseas torture under repressive governments stall most cases.
In security-certificate cases, Canadian cabinet ministers and Federal Court judges who see secret intelligence need to be convinced there is "reasonable suspicion" someone is a threat. This is a far lower threshold than the "proof beyond reasonable doubt" standard used in criminal cases.
Those in jail:
Mohamed Zeki Mahjoub, alleged to be an al-Qaeda operative, who admits he once ran a farming operation for Osama bin Laden.
Ordered yesterday to be moved to house arrest, he was first detained in 2000 and is in the midst of an 84-day hunger strike protesting against the conditions he endured in prison.
Mahmoud Jaballah, suspected of being an al-Qaeda operative from Egypt, is alleged to have played some kind of undefined "communications relay" role in African embassy bombings in 1998.
He has been on a hunger strike for more than 70 days. A hearing on his bail case is imminent.
Hassan Almrei, a Syrian who admits he spent time in Afghanistan training camps, has been jailed since October, 2001.
His hunger strike has also passed the 70-day mark, but he will remain in prison for the foreseeable future.
Those released on forms of house arrest:
Adel Charkaoui, a Morroccan who was also arrested on allegations he trained in Afghanistan. Jailed in 2002, he made headlines in 2005 for being the first al-Qaeda-accused to be transferred to house arrest.
Mohamed Harkat, an Algerian, is alleged to be a graduate of the training camps. He was jailed in 2003, but released on house arrest last year.
Manickavasagam Suresh is often overlooked because he is not an al-Qaeda suspect. This Toronto resident was arrested in 1995 on allegations he was a major fundraiser for the Tamil Tigers.
Three years later he was granted bail. Concerns he'd be tortured in Sri Lanka have kept him in Canada ever since.
The recently departed:
Paul William Hampel, alleged to be a Russian spy, was removed to Moscow this fall. There were no concerns he'd be tortured and he didn't fight the removal.
In Pictures:
