http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=bc951e37-cf89-4739-8913-c1d38d646ad8
Influx of terrorists
'Jihadist returnees' may plan attacks, report says
Stewart Bell
National Post
Monday, May 09, 2005
A number of "jihadist returnees" have arrived back in Canada from
other countries and some may intend to commit acts of terrorism,
according to a declassified intelligence report.
The report, by the government's Integrated National Security
Assessment Centre (INSAC), says "a number of other Islamic extremists
have recently returned to Canada from abroad.
"Those dedicated extremists possessing terrorist training and Canadian
documentation may return to Canada in order to carry out an attack.
"They may also use their documentation to gain access to Western
diplomatic missions, or other interests, for the purpose of terrorist
attack," says the report, released under the Access to Information
Act.
Several Canadians have attended terrorist training camps and
participated in international extremist groups. Those that have
returned to Canada have raised alarms about the threat they may pose
to Canadians.
Last month, the National Post found the alleged former leader of a
Canadian extremist cell living in a townhouse in Montreal. Fateh Kamel
returned to Canada in January after serving a prison term in France
for terrorist-related crimes.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service says Mr. Kamel, 45, fought
in Afghanistan in the 1980s, recruited volunteers to fight in Bosnia
in the 1990s and was associated with Osama bin Laden. He also played a
central role in terrorist threats in France, CSIS wrote in a public
report.
However, Mr. Kamel denied he was involved in extremism and said he
barely knew Ahmed Ressam, an alleged member of his Montreal-based
group who tried to blow up Los Angeles International Airport.
The report comes as U.S. officials are concerned about the possibility
terrorists might attempt to cross the border from Canada to carry out
an attack, a scenario attempted unsuccessfully by Ressam in 1999.
The U.S. State Department offered US$5-million rewards on April 20 for
information on Canadians Abderraouf Ben Habib Jdey and Faker Ben
Abdelaziz Boussora.
The men trained in Afghanistan and have said they want to die in a
terrorist attack.
Authorities are concerned that Jdey may attempt to return to Canada or
the United States to plan a terrorist attack. The whereabouts of Jdey
and Boussora are unknown, although they may have been spotted in
Turkey.
"Terrorist-related activities undertaken by individuals in Canada also
include efforts to use Canada as a base for fundraising, recruiting
supporters, acquiring, preparing and distributing false travel and
identity documents," the INSAC report says.
"While some of these individuals are currently detained in Canada or
abroad, others continue to be involved in terrorist-related
activities. Al-Qaeda and like-minded Sunni Islamic extremist groups
have adherents in both Canada and abroad who possess Canadian status."
The return to Toronto last year of members of the Khadr family, who
lived in one of bin Laden's compounds in Afghanistan, prompted debate
over how to deal with Canadians who have links to al-Qaeda.
The family patriarch, Ahmed Said Khadr, allegedly collected money in
Canada and used it to finance al-Qaeda training camps. He was killed
in a shootout with Pakistani security forces in October, 2003.
One of his sons, Abdurahman Khadr, testified in court last summer that
"a lot" of Canadians attended terrorist training camps and then
returned to Canada, and they "live their everyday life now and are not
under arrest or anything."
The report notes that al-Qaeda listed Canada as its fifth most
important Christian target in March, 2004, and that in November, 2002,
bin Laden named Canada as a target in an audiotaped address.
INSAC (now called the Integrated Threat Assessment Centre) is an
interagency group made up of representatives of CSIS, the RCMP,
Department of National Defence, Department of Foreign Affairs,
Communications Security Establishment and other departments.
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