"This prosecution has a political agenda. This is Canada's way of showing that we're fighting the war on terror."

Counterterrorism officials in FBI headquarters slowed an investigation into a possible conspirator in the 2005 London bombings by forcing a field agent to return documents acquired from a U.S. university. Why? Because the agent received the documents through a lawful subpoena, while headquarters wanted him to demand the records under the USA Patriot Act, using a power the FBI did not have, but desperately wanted.

The lack of intercepts from the CSIS and RCMP wired van on the 10-hour drive to and from Opasatika that the Crown said was to find a safehouse and weapon storage site is also highlighted.

"Either the probes malfunctioned, or the evidence was lost or destroyed by the police, it will never be known," the document states. "At the end of the day, there are only disjointed fragments of these 20 plus hours of intercepts available to the defence."

In your opinion, how radicalized is the Canadian Muslim population? What kind of numbers are we up against?
Well, of course, it's impossible to assess -- there is no poll measuring the support for Wahhabism amongst our communities. But one can look at some of the statements by genuinely moderate clerics concerning the situation in North America. Imam Palazzi has claimed that 80 per cent of mosques in Canada are under the influence of radicals, though he does not by any means appear to suggest that 80 per cent of Canadian Muslims are themselves radical.

Who is Imam Palazzi?
He's an Italian imam and he comes to Canada every now and then. He provided this assessment about two years ago and it's absolutely in line with the appraisal of Imam Sheik Khabani, who's president of the Supreme Islamic Council of America.

So do you trust Palazzi's assessment? Why would he have a sense of things in Canada?
Well, he seems to take quite an interest in the country and has played a leading role in trying to bring about substantive reconciliation rather than the cosmetic variety the Wahhabist-oriented national Islamic organizations propagate. But it's a genuine question. And I guess a larger, related question is on what are they basing that assessment. My answer, unfortunately, is I really don't know. So I can't certify the validity of those stats.

But the underlying premise is that our country is full of radicalized imams -- leading a non-radicalized population?
But that won't last long.

Because the imams are so influential?
That's right. Especially if you're dealing with a culture, a community of religion that's inclined to idealize "men of God" -- clerics -- and hand their children over to such folk for extended periods, you can predict what the outcome could be.

1:00 PM

Can't help wondering what this fixation is with the number 19.

The whole thing is smelling stinkier and stinkier.  According to the Thomas Walkom of the Toronto Star [Suspects seem strictly second rate, Jun. 7] the suspects made certain that they bothered the neighbours in the vicinity of their "training camp" by trespassing and giving them "lip".  They drew attention to themselves by "shooting of firearms", and playing "paintball"
     My guess is that they were simply playing paintball using paintball guns.  And that they dressed up in military fatigues, or were encouraged to, for the fun of it.  They may be Muslims, but they are boys, after all, and boys do stuff like that for fun.  They could easily be set up to do it in order that an impression could be made.
     Walkom goes on to say: "The leader of these alleged terrorists was so disgusted with his young charges that he complained to Côté about their incompetence."  Which makes it sound even more that they were set up.  That somebody wanted them to be noticed.
    Walkom apparently is a believer in the official myth that 19 Muslims kids attacked the WTC and the Pentagon, with poor flying skills and armed with only plastic knives.  A lot of people with more investigative sense than this journalist would strongly disagree.
     Walkom is also wrong about the 9-11ers keeping a low profile. It really ticks me off when reporters don't check their facts.  It's not as if there aren't a thousand sources on the internet for information about the noticeable goings on of the 9-11ers.
     The Washington Post reported quite early after 9-11 that some of the "hijackers" (or their doubles) had whooped it up in a bar the night before the big event, and drew plenty of attention to themselves. One of them even boasted, "There is no money issue; I am an airline pilot," when the bar owner worried they were too drunk and might leave without paying.  And others (or their doubles) were eccentric enough in other ways before 9-11 to be "remembered" by witnesses - to lay the groundwork for the fairy tale that was told to the public about how the attacks were carried out.
     So, I'm not surprised that, with all of the other dubious evidence, these Toronto "terrorists" (or their doubles) were seen doing strange things in public that people would remember later.

12:30 am

See, whud I tell ya?  When the police really do confiscate tonnes of stuff, they can't wait to show us pictures of it. Photo from CTV.  ==>

[One thing we know about the RCMP, they always get their drugs, and it's always the biggest haul ever.  Same as a fishermen's catch.]

But there was no fertilizer to be seen, although there is plenty to be heard.

The Globe and Mail is really hammering at the gossip from an unnamed source at the mosque about Qayyum Jamal, implying he may have been the prime instigator behind the "alleged terrorist conspiracy".  But a Washington Post article may reveal the real push behind the investigation of him: << Jamal's angry view of the world, and his belief that the West is at war with Muslims, boiled over there, others say. It was so strident that it startled Wajid Khan, a Muslim member of Parliament who stopped at the mosque last year on his regular rounds of his district just west of Toronto.
     "I was concerned that he had found a bunch of young kids and he was able to influence them," Khan said in an interview Sunday. "I took issue with him. I think we have to be extremely vigilant in the Muslim community. We have to watch out for people who are trying to teach disaffected youths that it's the Muslims against the rest, a war of civilizations. Anyone talking through his hat should be kicked out and reported." >>
     A Muslim can't get vociferous about the g-d government the way a Christian or a Jew can these days. It puts them on the terrorist list.  And that is Jamal's proof that the West really is at war with Muslims.  I've been saying that here for quite a while, but I've yet to order any fertilizer.  I did call a supermarket to ask them to get in some geraniums, but I was careful not to give my name.
     Well, whaddya know - the Mississauga News quotes Wajid Khan thusly: "... Jamal blasted Canada for sending troops to Afghanistan and suggested, "they were not there to do good work," MP Khan said.  "I cut him off and spoke about what a great job I thought our troops were doing," said Khan, a former fighter pilot in the Pakistan air force. "I said comments such as his will not be tolerated by myself or by the congregation, and I walked out."  Asked what actions he took at the time, the MP said, "the actions that I took, I can't talk about them. I did take actions, but I can't go there at this time." 
     See Mr. Khan wants to be seen as a good Muslim so he agrees with the Harper government that we should be slaughtering Afghani people. And to show what a good Muslim he is, he reports Mr. Jamal to the authorities - simply for criticizing the government. And CSIS knew what to do from there.
     They say we live in a democracy, but thanks to everybody wanting to make nice with the US, including Pakistan from whence Mr. Khan hails, we've been sliding into something else - and it starts with "f".

10:45 PM

Canada.com: Fear of terrorism could taint looming Supreme Court case
     Barbara Jackman, lawyer for Hassan Almrei: "I think it's calculated to make the court aware - and everyone else - that these are 'really dangerous people.' "
     Paul Copeland, lawyer for Mohamed Harkat, whose bail release has been stayed pending a challenge by CSIS lawyers: "It certainly appears to me that there has been a whole effort by CSIS and the RCMP to do some media work to improve their reputation."
YYC:  The timing couldn't be better for CSIS just as they are about to try to prevent Harkat from getting bail, and just as the challenge against the security certificate is about to take place in Supreme Court.  But are judges really that gullible?  I guess we'll find out.

4:00 PM

Forbes: Canada Terror Suspect Charges Made Public
At least one member of a group of terror suspects plotted to storm Canada's parliament and behead officials, including the prime minister, if Muslim prisoners in Canada and Afghanistan were not released, according to charges made public Tuesday.  Authorities also alleged that Steven Vikash Chand plotted to take over media outlets such as the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
YYC:  Pretty ambitious projects for a bunch of kids even if they were extremists.  The language being used by the police is naive and overly dramatic.  It would take a lot more than a "self-organized" little cell of disgruntled Muslims to "storm" Parliament and "take over" the media.
     With regard to the trashing of one of the boys by a so-called Muslim leader, if he were credible, he would be asked to give evidence in court and he would be restrained from speaking in advance about it.  Instead, it appears he's been encouraged to mouth wildly off.
     As one of the lawyers suggests: " ... whether you're in Ottawa or Toronto or Crawford, Texas, or Washington, D.C., what is wanting to be instilled in the public is fear".

3:00 PM

Heard on the radio - lawyers are saying there are wild allegations that the arrestees were planning to "behead the Prime Minister" and bomb the CBC. Lawyers also say that there is "little evidence after two years of investigation".

1:45 PM

Thanks to Ron Saba:
"...Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
You step out of line, the man come and take you away"
See video at Huffington Post

The Toronto Star is starting to present some perspective:
"If the alleged conspirators knew they were under surveillance, it seems odd that they continued along merrily with plans to make explosives. But perhaps they are not bright terrorists. Or perhaps they are not terrorists at all."

1:20 PM

Australian: Canada plot probe goes global
The investigation into Canada's homegrown terrorism plot has been widened, with authorities looking for links between those detained in Canada and terrorist cells in at least six other countries.
YYC:  Ooh, sounds ominous.  The media are keeping the rumours flying; helping to make the case for the "war on terrorism".  But here's what you really need to look at:
"It has been established that two men from the US state of Georgia, who were charged this year in a terrorism case, had been in contact with some of the Canadian suspects via computer ..."
     I'd be willing to bet that this is a case of entrapment from start to finish, including, of course, the order placed for ammonium nitrate.  The more the story is pumped up, the less I believe there is a solid case against these guys.
     The least the leakers could do is try to tell a consistent story.  Why would they say they are looking for links in six other countries but also say that the Toronto guys are an example of "self-organised, ad-hoc cells of homegrown extremists"?
     Ad hoc is a rather sophisticated term for spooks to use.  Maybe they don't understand its meaning?  Note the Australian journalist thought it should have a hyphen.  But "self-organized" says clearly they are not internationally connected - except with those two Georgia guys, that is.
     And why are we having to listen to this kind of gossip from unnamed sources: "Qayyum Abdul Jamal, 43, the oldest suspect, gave sermons at a local mosque "filled with hate" against Canada, according to a Muslim leader who knew him."
     One's person's hate speech is another person's legitimate complaints.  Plenty of Muslims have dared to criticize Canada for its treatment of immigrants, and for its involvement in Bush's wars, but it's only used as evidence of terrorism if you've been contacted by "two men from the US state of Georgia".
     By the by, guess what's in Georgia - the infamous School of the Americas.  See, the US is not entirely averse to "training camps".

June 5, 2006

2:40 PM

ABC-au: 17 Canadians to face terrorism charges
     Canada's Ambassador to the United States, Michael Wilson: My understanding of it is that the internet played a very important part of it.
     Peter King, who's Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee: And there's a large al-Qaeda presence in Canada ... because of their very liberal immigration laws, because of how political asylum is granted so easily.
     Security analyst Professor Sunil Ram: Canadians have a terrible habit of living in a bubble ... but reality is that these organisations are here ... and we have to be far more vigilant about how we accept what we perceive as possibly political groups when their motivations are to hurt Canadians.
YYC:  Three - count 'em - three right wing goals in one, all being bolstered by Toronto's sting operation: control of the internet, xenophobic immigration policies, and crackdown on political dissent.  Why, a Texas oilboy turned politician could have writ this article all by hisself.

1:20 PM

I see Xymphora is on the case.  So nice to have the company.  Undertow too.

12:15 pm

Forbes: Canada Police Use Sting in Terror Arrests
The Toronto Star said the sting unfolded when investigators delivered the ammonium nitrate to the group of Muslim Canadians, then moved in quickly on what officials called a homegrown terror ring.
YYC:  The wise person who coined the phrase: "Don't believe everything you read" was just not as good a candidate for mind control as the journalists who spew this drivel. The police did not deliver three tonnes of ammonium nitrate!!!  If they had, we would have seen photos of them over and over and over again, like the planes hitting the WTC.

     When the RCMP makes their zillionth "biggest drug bust ever" do we fail to get treated to photos of bags and bags and bags of white stuff?  No sirree.  But where are the fertilizer bags?  All we get is a photo of a "sample bag" of fertilizer.  And where are the ingredients needed to make it into a bomb?

     The police merely claim to have intercepted an order for fertilizer - which anybody could have called in.

     Be sure to read the final few paragraphs of the Forbes article.  CSIS has been hounding Muslims for a long time, but because of all this uproar, Muslims and mosques are being targeted by (other) racists.  Nice going, Canada.

12:06 am

The Toronto Star  -  Plot began in chat room
Jun. 4, 2006. 10:18 PM -NICOLAAS VAN RIJN

The Star appears to have become a conduit for leakage.  Don't you wonder why the police would want to leak information about "the country's greatest terrorism threat"?

Did you catch that?  The country "greatest" terrorism threat.  We can all rest easy now, because if this is the greatest they've come up with we don't have much to worry about, and we probably never did.

If they hadn't leaked this business about the two American guys that chatted with our boys on the internet, I wouldn't have started wondering if they were the "agents provocateurs" Eric Margolis alluded to in his article.  They could easily have been the ones to start a conversation about possible targets for terrorist attacks - I've heard reasonably normal people mull that one, haven't you? - and then guide the conversation to create something that would look like evidence.  They could then invite our boys down south, and show them such a good time that they might end up feeling obligated to do a favour in return - like smuggle a couple of guns into Canada for instance.

Next the two American guys come up to visit, and say they've always wanted to go camping in the Canadian woods, and just for fun they take movies of our boys in army fatigues.  And then later, because they're American tourists, after all, they also take videos of various Toronto landmarks.

After that all somebody has to do is put in an order in our boys' names for ammonium nitrate. They say they delivered "harmless powder", but would they really have to?  I mean, the order would be the evidence no matter whether any delivery was made or not - so why would they need the "harmless powder".

This certainly answers my question as to why we didn't see the huge pile of ammonium nitrate we were led to believe these guys had.

I thought we were going to hear that the police had found equipment for detonating bombs, but they found nothing of any sophistication at all.  The stuff in the "grab bag" was the usual junk lying around anybody's house.  All families with boys have two way radios in the house.  They're for sale in every toy department.  And the lugar?  Lugars are collectors items, are they not?  I wonder if it even works.

But wait - the CBC says somebody reported this leak: "Others say farm supply salesmen became suspicious when unlikely looking farmers kept wandering into their store buying up bags of fertilizer. They called police, who organized a massive sting operation that nabbed the suspects with three tonnes of explosive fertilizer and a cellphone hooked to a sophisticated detonator."

These leaks are for a purpose - to confuse the issue as much as possible while instilling in the public mind the belief that we were in imminent danger and CSIS, the RCMP and the Toronto Police saved us from it.

I couldn't care what kind of gossip the reporters gleaned from the neighbours.  People like to be on TV and in the papers, and they will say any stupid thing that comes into their head.  But from the rest of the reporting, and especially since the police are bragging so much and trying to make it sound really, really bigtime, all I can say is that the whole thing stinks bigtime.

2:00 pm

Came across this article by Eric Margolis - "Canada is a Target"

He's pretty much blaming the Harper government for a situation in Canada that could bring us some "blowback".  This whole thing may fall apart in the courts if Harper gets too much flak.

     Margolis says some very important stuff: