Toronto terror arrests raise questions about security screening

The national authorities is declining to explicate really a Toronto man was capable to immigrate to Canada contempt allegedly having taken portion successful ISIS unit overseas.

Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi, 62, has been charged pinch committing an aggravated battle for nan alleged Islamic State. The alleged incident took spot extracurricular Canada successful 2015.

Sources person told Global News nan complaint stems from a video released by ISIS that twelvemonth that shows a man dismembering a captive pinch a sword.

The RCMP arrested Eldidi and his boy Mostafa, 26, astatine a edifice northbound of Toronto arsenic they were allegedly astir to perpetrate a violent onslaught for ISIS. Police seized a machete and axe astatine nan scene.

While constabulary told reporters some suspects are Canadians, Global News has learned nan boy does not clasp citizenship successful this country, and nan begetter immigrated aft nan ISIS execution video was released.

The Canada Border Services Agency did not respond to questions astir why nan father’s alleged past pinch ISIS was not detected during information screening earlier his migration was approved.

“The CBSA is incapable to supply accusation regarding nan screening of a circumstantial case,” a spokesperson for nan agency said, adding screening decisions are “based connected nan accusation disposable astatine a infinitesimal successful time.”

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada besides did not reply questions, nor did nan agency of Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, which referred nan matter to nan RCMP.

Kelly Sundberg, a professor astatine Calgary’s Mount Royal University, called it a blunder by a information screening strategy he said was inadequate and under-resourced.

“It’s a horrible failure,” he said.

At a news convention connected Wednesday, nan RCMP said nan arrests had disrupted an onslaught connected an chartless target successful Toronto, but location was nary further threat to nationalist safety.

Three sources told Global News that earlier they were taken into custody, nan begetter and boy had allegedly recorded a video showing them holding bladed weapons successful beforehand of an ISIS flag.

The Eldidis appeared successful tribunal successful Newmarket, Ont., connected Thursday. They person been charged pinch six coercion offences related to ISIS. They were scheduled to return to tribunal connected Aug. 7.

But successful summation to facing conspiracy to execution charges, nan elder Eldidi was accused of an alleged 2015 “aggravated assault, extracurricular Canada … successful relation pinch a violent group, to wit nan Islamic State.”

A video intimately matching nan explanation of nan 1 nan sources said led to nan battle complaint was released successful June 2015 by nan media agency of Dijlah State, a state of ISIS successful occidental Iraq.

The four-minute video, titled “Deterring Spies,” shows a captive allegedly confessing earlier being led outside. He past appears suspended from a crucifix-like building successful nan sand.

Arabic book successful nan video says that enemies of God are to beryllium killed, crucified aliases person their hands and feet trim off. A middle-aged man is past shown wearing a achromatic headdress base nan ISIS logo.

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Using a sword, he hacks nan hands and feet disconnected nan prisoner. His look is concisely visible successful nan video. It is unclear whether nan unfortunate was still live during nan incident.

The video was posted connected nan website Jihadology, which is tally by Aaron Zelin, a elder chap astatine nan Washington Institute, a deliberation vessel connected nan Middle East, and starring authority connected ISIS.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called for answers from nan authorities of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau connected nan evident separator information lapse.

“The Trudeau authorities must instantly explicate really this alleged ISIS violent pinch humor connected his hands managed to immigrate to Canada and beryllium granted Canadian citizenship.”

The CBSA said it “works regularly and intimately pinch home and world rule enforcement partners” specified arsenic nan RCMP and Canadian Security Intelligence Service to behaviour information screening.

Screening checks connected those seeking impermanent and imperishable residence are a “joint collaboration” betwixt IRCC, CSIS and nan CBSA, nan agency said successful a connection to Global News.

“IRCC assesses applicants’ individual accusation and history against a group of criteria – nan information screening indicators – to find whether applicants whitethorn airs a imaginable information risk.”

“If IRCC officers person inadmissibility concerns complete a PR aliases TR application, they mention it for an in-depth information screening to nan CBSA and, depending connected nan quality of nan concern, besides to CSIS,” nan connection said.

“If accusation comes to ray that a overseas nationalist granted introduction to Canada whitethorn beryllium inadmissible, nan CBSA tin motorboat an investigation and initiate due enforcement action.”

Since nan younger Eldidi is not a Canadian citizen, he could look deportation proceedings, Sundberg said. The authorities could besides revoke citizenship from Canadians who misrepresented their pasts erstwhile they immigrated, he said.

Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca