Author: Beth Duff-Brown
Publication: Associated Press
Date: July 4, 2005
Though many view Canada as an unassuming
neutral nation that has skirted terrorist attacks, it has suffered its
share of aggression, and intelligence officials believe at least 50 terror
groups now have some presence here.
They are from Sri Lanka, Kurdistan
and points between and include supporters of some of the best-known Mideast
groups, including al-Qaida, authorities say.
Osama bin Laden named Canada one
of five so-called Christian nations that should be targeted for acts of
terror. The others, reaffirmed last year by his al-Qaida network, were
the United States, Britain, Spain and Australia.
The Canadian Security Intelligence
Service, counterpart of the CIA, said terrorist representatives are actively
raising money, procuring weapons, "manipulating immigrant communities"
and facilitating travel to and from the United States and other countries.
Besides al-Qaida, those groups include
Islamic Jihad; Hezbollah and other Shiite groups; Hamas, the Palestinian
Force 17, Egyptian Al Jihad and various other Sunni groups from across
the Middle East, CSIS said.
CSIS said the Irish Republican Army,
Tamil Tigers and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and major Sikh terrorist
groups also have supporters in Canada.
The Air India bombing of 1985 was
the deadliest terrorist attack on a commercial airliner prior to Sept.
11, with the government accusing Sikh terrorists living legally in Canada
of taking down the airliner over Ireland, claiming 331 lives, most Canadian.
The separatist Tamil Tigers of Sri
Lanka - whose followers helped start the trend in suicide bombings when
they assassinated Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 - have their
political headquarters in a Toronto suburb.
Canada's clandestine Communications
Security Establishment, which listens in on conversations and translates
messages from foreigners under suspicion, has increased its annual budget
by 57 percent since Sept. 11, and Canada has spent some $6.5 billion to
beef up security along its border.
There currently are four Arab Muslim
men in Canadian jails under "security certificates," which allow Ottawa
to detain suspects without public trial or evidence in the name of national
security. All four suspects argue they face risk of torture if returned
to their native Algeria, Morocco, Syria and Egypt. A fifth suspect, Adil
Charkaoui, was granted conditional release in February but must wear an
electronic tracking device and remain in Montreal. Human rights groups
have condemned Canada for holding the men.
Canada adopted its Anti-Terrorism
Act in the months that followed Sept. 11, yet only one man has been arrested
under the act: Mohammad Momin Khawaja.
Born in Canada to Pakistani immigrants,
Khawaja was arrested in March 2004 on suspicion of participating in and
facilitating terrorist activities in London and Ottawa, according to the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Young men like Khawaja, 26, are
representative of the type of recruits al-Qaida is after, CSIS said in
a report recently made public by the Toronto Star.
"There is a direct threat to Canada
and Canadian interests from al-Qaida and related groups," CSIS said. "Converts
are highly prized by terrorist groups for their familiarity with the West
and relative ease at moving through Western society."
The U.S. State Department has estimated
there are 40 terrorist organizations with sympathizers or supporters in
the United States.
