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Canada train 'al-Qaeda plot' suspect in court | Canada train 'al-Qaeda plot' suspect in court |
(34 minutes later) | |
A man arrested in Canada on suspicion of planning what officials say was an al-Qaeda-backed plot to attack a train has appeared in court in Toronto. | A man arrested in Canada on suspicion of planning what officials say was an al-Qaeda-backed plot to attack a train has appeared in court in Toronto. |
Raed Jaser, 35, did not enter a plea during his brief appearance, when the court approved a ban on publishing evidence and testimony in the case. | Raed Jaser, 35, did not enter a plea during his brief appearance, when the court approved a ban on publishing evidence and testimony in the case. |
A second suspect, Chiheb Esseghaier, 30, is due in court in Montreal later. | A second suspect, Chiheb Esseghaier, 30, is due in court in Montreal later. |
Officials said the alleged plot had support from al-Qaeda in Iran, although there was no sign of state sponsorship. | Officials said the alleged plot had support from al-Qaeda in Iran, although there was no sign of state sponsorship. |
Canadian authorities said the two suspects were arrested in Montreal and Toronto on Monday. | Canadian authorities said the two suspects were arrested in Montreal and Toronto on Monday. |
Mr Jaser is understood to be a United Arab Emirates national of Palestinian origin, while Mr Esseghaier is thought to be Tunisian. | Mr Jaser is understood to be a United Arab Emirates national of Palestinian origin, while Mr Esseghaier is thought to be Tunisian. |
'Imam's tip-off' | |
Mr Jaser wore a long beard during Tuesday's hearing, which was reportedly attended by his parents and brother. | Mr Jaser wore a long beard during Tuesday's hearing, which was reportedly attended by his parents and brother. |
The two accused face charges of conspiracy to carry out an attack and kill people in association with a terrorist group. | |
Canadian media have reported the investigation was launched after a tip-off by a concerned imam in the Toronto Muslim community. | |
The imam was worried that young people in his community were being corrupted by an extremist, reports said. | |
It is alleged that the two had planned to derail a passenger train in the Greater Toronto area. | |
The alleged attack was "definitely in the planning stage but not imminent", Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Chief Superintendent Jennifer Strachan said on Monday. | |
The Globe and Mail newspaper, citing sources, said it involved a Toronto-New York City train. | |
'Hilarious' | |
But VIA Rail, which operates passenger rail services across Canada, said the public was never in danger. | |
The RCMP said the investigation was a collaborative effort with FBI agents from the US. | |
Iran has denied any links with the two suspects. | Iran has denied any links with the two suspects. |
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said it was "ridiculous" to suggest any connection between al-Qaeda and Tehran. | |
"This is the most hilarious thing I've heard in my 64 years," Mr Salehi told the Iranian Isna news agency. | |
Al-Qaeda - a militant Salafist Islamic movement - preaches a radical anti-Shia ideology that is seen as placing it firmly at odds with Shia Iran. | |
A US justice department official said there was no connection between the alleged Canada plot and last week's Boston Marathon bombings. | |
Analysts say Iran's links with al-Qaeda are shadowy and complex. | |
Some of the group's senior figures - including Osama Bin Laden's son, Saad Bin Laden, and former security chief Saif al-Adel - are said to have fled to Iran after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. | |
They were allegedly held under house arrest by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard, although Tehran never acknowledged their presence. | |
According to the US, Saif al-Adel's father-in-law, Mustafa Hamid, is the link between al-Qaeda and the Iranian government. | |
After the fall of the Taliban, he is said to have negotiated the safe relocation of several senior al-Qaeda members and their families to Iran. In mid-2003, he was arrested by the Iranian authorities. |