Brampton, Ontario-The first witness took the stand last week in the trial of a 20-year-old man charged under Canada’s 2001 Anti-terrorism Act for allegedly belonging to a homegrown terrorist cell that tried to purchase three tons of ammonium nitrate in 2006 for use in bombs intended for the Toronto Stock Exchange and offices of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (GM June 12, 2006). The man, who was a youth at the time of the arrest, is one of 18 individuals who have come to be known as the “Toronto 18,” which prosecutors are describing as an Al Qaeda-inspired terrorist group that was brought down after law enforcement officials conducted a sting operation to facilitate the sale of the AN in June 2006. According to documents filed as an exhibit in court last week, in March, 2006, one of the adults accused in the case ordered three electronic devices that investigators believe could be used to remotely trigger a bomb. A short video was played in court and showed one of the adults charged in the alleged plot triggering a remote control detonator from his cell phone. Prosecutors are also charging that one of the accused visited the Meadowvale Public Library in Mississauga, Ont., and used its computers to search topics such as, “ammonium nitrate turf fertilizer” and “ways of getting ammonium nitrate.” Court documents filed last week also allege that the 20-year-old attended two military-style camps in Ontario in December 2005 and in May 2006, where he wore camouflage, participated in military exercises and was present for what the Crown described as “terrorist indoctrination.” The defense attorney representing the man says his client had nothing to do with the alleged bomb plot.
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