Toronto, Ont.-The Ontario Court of Appeals has increased the sentences of two members of the “Toronto 18,” arrested in 2006 in a police sting for planning fertilizer bomb attacks on the Toronto Stock Exchange and other locations. The sentence of Saad Khalid, 24, was increased to 20 years imprisonment from the 14 years he received after pleading guilty to one count of intending to cause an explosion that was likely to cause serious bodily harm or death at the direction of or in association with a terrorist group. Saad Gaya, 23, will serve 18 years in prison instead of the 12 years he received on Jan. 18 after pleading guilty to one count of the same charges faced by Khalid. The Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC) welcomed the action, saying the appeals court has recognized that terrorism is a global threat to peace and security, and that innocent lives around the world must be protected from terrorists, wherever they are based. “The court clearly stated that Canada is not a safe haven for would-be terrorists, that terrorism is a crime like no other and indicated that individuals who threaten our peaceful and democratic society by plotting to kill innocent citizens for ideological causes will receive sentences that reflect the gravity of their crimes,” the PPSC statement asserted.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain