Linkages

As the investigation into the Canadian terror plot continues, British police arrested a man in connection to the Canadian plot at Manchester Airport late on Tuesday and was taken to a police station in West Yorkshire.

A 21-year-old man from Bradford was detained at Manchester Airport late on Tuesday and has been taken to a police station in West Yorkshire, a police spokesman said.

The BBC, citing unnamed sources, said the man, believed to be of Pakistani origin, was being questioned in connection with the arrest last week of 17 Muslim men in Canada's largest counter-terrorism operation.

Tigerhawk notes that lost in the border control/illegal immigration debate is the fact that the focus is largely on the US/Mexico border, and not the US/Canadian border. That could have serious consequences considering the number of plots uncovered over the past several years on both sides of the border.

To this I would add a point I have made before: the border with Mexico only appears "porous" because many people are desperate enough to make multiple attempts. And why not? If they are caught, they are released back into Mexico and free to take a second or third shot. If, however, you are a jihadi, especially one bearing any physical evidence, you cannot afford to be caught even once. If you have to get through on the first attempt, Canada is your best bet.

Powerline also frets over the threat of Canada/US border crossings by terrorists. The Buffalo News has more details on the connection between the Canadian 17 and the two Georgia men held on terror charges:

Two American Muslims took a Greyhound bus from Georgia to Toronto in March 2005 and discussed possible U.S. targets that included oil refineries and military bases with members of the Toronto group now facing charges of plotting terrorist acts in Canada, according to an FBI affidavit.
The Americans' meetings in Toronto bolstered intelligence that Canadian authorities had gathered on the Toronto group and played a key role in the arrest of two members of the Toronto group in August as they tried to enter Canada through the Peace Bridge with three loaded handguns, a law enforcement source said Monday.

"The guys in Atlanta are strongly tied to the two arrested at the Peace Bridge," the source said. "It was the jumping-off point; it solidified the information the Canadians were receiving."

The two Canadians, Mohammad Dirie, 22, and Yasin Abdi Mohamed, 24, both Somali immigrants to Canada, were already in jail Friday when Canadian authorities began rounding up 15 other suspected terrorists.

Dirie and Mohamed, along with a third suspect, Fahim Ahmad, were arrested over the weekend by Canadian authorities on charges of weapons smuggling and collecting, providing or inviting a person to give them three handguns and 182 rounds of ammunition for the purpose of carrying out terrorist activity.

The Americans - described as radical Islamists from Georgia - are also are in jail awaiting trial. Syed Haris Ahmed, 21, of Atlanta, a mechanical engineering major at Georgia Tech, and Ehsanul Islam Sadequee, 19, of Roswell, Ga., were arrested in March under sealed court documents in connection with their Toronto visit.

Although both Canadian and U.S. officials said over the weekend there was no indication the purported terror group had targets outside Ontario, Mike McDonell, deputy commissioner for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Monday said the inquiry has expanded beyond Canada.

Meanwhile, the Toronto Star reports that the alleged ringleader, Steven Chand, aka Abdul Shakur, had been reservist in the Canadian military and had received weapons training:

The Toronto Star has learned that Steven Vikash Chand was a member of the Royal Regiment of Canada, a reservist unit that meets in Toronto.

Chand, who later converted to Islam and went by the name Abdul Shakur, is charged with belonging to a terrorist group, receiving training and recruiting or training others to participate in terrorist activity. The charges partly involve allegations that Chand and eight other suspects spent five days last winter in a remote field in Washago, Ont., to participate in terrorist training.

Cmdr. Denise Laviolette confirmed yesterday that Chand was once in the military, but sought to dispel any suggestion that the 25-year-old was a well-honed soldier. Instead, she described Chand as a reservist who was absent for much of his time in uniform and completed few of the qualifications required for infantry soldiers.

Chand was one of 17 suspects arrested Friday and Saturday as part of a massive police raid. They are accused of being members of an alleged homegrown terrorist cell, plotting attacks in Canada.

On the other hand, the defense attorneys are trying to get more lenient conditions for their clients, despite the fact that the crimes alleged suggest that they be kept in maximum security facilities through the trial:

Lawyer Peter Martin — temporarily representing Shareef Abdelhaleen — complained his client was not allowed any interaction with other people. He asked that Justice of the Peace Maurice Hudson consider allowing the accused to pray together. Lawyers complained they have not been allowed to talk in private with their clients.

"The right to counsel and to have a private conversation ... this is a basic right that no allegation colours or takes away from," said Rocco Galati, lawyer for one of the accused.

Anser Farooq, a lawyer for several of the accused, said some family members phoned the detention centre to inquire about visiting, and officials refused to disclose if the accused individual was being held at the facility.

"A glimpse of a family friend is not going to cause any disruption to the proceedings in this case," Farooq said, urging the court to loosen restrictions.

There's good reason not to give out this kind of information to anyone over the phone - terrorists might attempt to strike at the detention facility and/or seek the release of the detained individuals. Preventing the individuals from praying together is another sensible precaution since this group has been accused of plotting a mass casualty terrorist attack (beheading the Canadian Prime Minister, blowing up Parliment, the CBC headquarters, etc.). Nothing should prevent these individuals from having the right to counsel. However, restrictions on contact with others is a reasonable precaution given the circumstances of their arrests and charges.