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| Canadian Terror Suspect Accused of Aiming to Behead PM |
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One of the 17 terror suspects arrested over the weekend near Canada's business center Toronto is accused of wanting to storm Parliament, behead the prime minister and attack a number of important sites, his lawyer said Tuesday. Lawyer Gary Batasar, who represents 25-year-old restaurant worker Steven Chand from Toronto, made the comments after a court appearance in Brampton, Ontario, on Tuesday. "The allegations are quite serious, including storming and bombing of various buildings," Batasar said. "There's an allegation that my client personally indicated that he wanted to behead the prime minister of Canada," he said. Batasar said he was given an eight-page synopsis of the allegations, including storming Parliament, blowing up some of the buildings and taking politicians hostage to demand the withdrawal of Canadian troops in Afghanistan. If the demands were not met, it is alleged, Chand wanted to behead Stephen Harper. The 12 adults and five youths were arrested in southern Ontario as part of the largest operation carried out under Canada's Anti-terrorism Act. It involved as many as 400 police officers and security officials. Local media have reported the suspects are accused of plotting terrorist attacks in different cities in southern Ontario. The targets included political and economic symbols including the Parliament Buildings and Peace Tower in capital Ottawa, along with the CN Tower and Toronto Stock Exchange in Toronto. The 15 people, with another two already in prison on other crime charges, appeared at the court Tuesday amid tight security for the second time after their first court appearance on Saturday. The bail hearing could take several days, lawyers said. The 12 adult suspects have been charged with knowingly participating, directly or indirectly, in the activity of a terrorist group. Six of them were also charged with planning to cause a deadly explosion, which could result in life prison if convicted. Three of the suspects have been charged with importing firearms and prohibited ammunition, and supplying prohibited weapons. Ten of the men are charged with engaging in terrorism-related training. (Xinhua News Agency June 7, 2006) |
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