Abdellah Ouzghar is a joint citizen of Canada and Morocco, who was arrested in Canada shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, on suspicion of ties to terrorist organizations. [1] A man in Taiwan had been found to be using Ouzghar's passport, which had been doctored. [1] France charged Ouzghar with "forgery, uttering a forged document and two related conspiracy charges".
A truck driver by trade, [2] Ouzghar claims that he was initially approached at his Montreal home in 1996, and asked to work as a spy for Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), but refused on religious grounds - leading to an attempt to "set him up" by the intelligence service. CSIS admits having interviewed him at the time, but denies that they were trying to recruit him. [3] [4] CSIS claims he maintained suspicious connections to Fateh Kamel, and agent Mike Pavlovic questioned him again on September 20, 2001. [5]
John Norris, Ouzghar's lawyer, argues that even if Ouzghar was involved in forging a passport, that crime would have occurred in Canada, and should be prosecuted in Canada. [1] His extradition hearing was told how Zoheir Choulah's conviction in France showed a number of phone calls between Choulah and Ouzghar while the latter was living in Montreal. [6]
While facing extradition, Ouzghar became a computer technician. [6] During the raid on his house, a videotape was seized which was later said to "sing the praises of jihad". [7]
Justice Susan Himel, who took up responsibility for Ouzghar's case when an earlier judge bowed out due to ill-health, made a ruling on January 12, 2007, stating that "...there was insufficient evidence to show Ouzghar was a member of a terrorist group." [1]
However, the extradition battle with France continued, and in June 2009, Ouzghar was handed over to French authorities to begin his prison term for passport forgery. [8]
Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, also known as Abu Hamza al-Masri, or simply Abu Hamza, is an Egyptian cleric who was the imam of Finsbury Park Mosque in London, England, where he preached Islamic fundamentalist views. In 2004, Hamza was arrested by British police after the United States requested he be extradited to face charges. He was later charged by British authorities with sixteen offences for inciting violence and racial hatred. In 2006, a British court found him guilty of inciting violence, and sentenced him to seven years' imprisonment. On 5 October 2012, after an eight-year legal battle, he was extradited from the UK to the United States to face terrorism charges and on 14 April 2014 his trial began in New York. On 19 May 2014, Hamza was found guilty of eleven terrorism charges by a jury in Manhattan. On 9 January 2015, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Ahmed Ressam is an Algerian al-Qaeda member who lived for a time in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He received extensive terrorist training in Afghanistan.
Abderraouf bin Habib bin Yousef Jdey is a Canadian citizen, who was found swearing to die as a shaheed (martyr) on a series of videotapes found in the rubble of Mohammed Atef's house in Afghanistan in 2002.
Ahmed Said Khadr was a Canadian citizen who began working in Afghanistan in the 1980s. There he has been described as having had ties to a number of militant and Mujahideen leaders in Afghanistan, including Osama bin Laden, founder of al-Qaeda. Khadr was accused by Canada and the United States of being a "senior associate" and financier of al-Qaeda.
The Khadr family is an Arab-Canadian family noted for their ties to Osama bin Laden and connections to al-Qaeda.
Abdullah Ahmed Said Khadr is a Canadian citizen who is the oldest son of the late Ahmed Khadr.
Adil Charkaoui is a Morocco-born Canadian citizen who was arrested by the Canadian government under a security certificate in May 2003.
Hassan Ahmed Almrei, a Syrian citizen, arrived in Canada in 1999 claiming refugee status. He has been since held, and accused of terrorist connections and ideology, for his "reputation... for obtaining false documents", and his relationship with Ibn al-Khattab following time shared together during the Civil war in Tajikistan. He had "not supported Khattab financially or otherwise", but "admired Khattab... had pictures of Khattab on his computer; and visited Chechen extremist websites".
Mohamed Harkat is a native-born Algerian and permanent resident of Canada who was arrested in 2002 on suspicion of ties to terrorism and was imprisoned under security certificates. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) alleged that he entered the country as a sleeper agent for al-Qaeda.
Raouf Hannachi is a Tunisian born Canadian citizen who served as the Muezzin at Assuna Mosque in Montreal. He was captured by the United States government and turned over to Tunisian officials in October 2001 and jailed.
Mahmoud Es-Sayyid Jaballah is an Egyptian who has been detained in Canada without charge on a "security certificate" since August 2001 due to his association with members of al-Jihad. He has consistently asserted that he does not believe in violence, and just because he phones or visits people, does not mean that he shares their beliefs.
Ibrahim Hussein Abdel Hadi Eidarous was an Egyptian militant who was alleged to have led the London-based chapter of al-Jihad. He was held in the custody of the United Kingdom from 1999, fighting extradition to the United States, where he was wanted in connection with the 1998 United States embassy bombings. He died of leukaemia in 2008.
Mohammed Zeki Mahjoub is an Egyptian national who was arrested in May 2000 on a security certificate for his alleged membership in the Vanguards of Conquest.
Carried out by the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, the 19 November 1995 attack on the Egyptian embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan was retaliation against the diplomatic staffers who were accused of gathering intelligence on Jihad factions inside Pakistan. It was the deadliest attack against the Egyptian government, since it had been declared apostate three years earlier by Islamic militants.
Hassan Farhat is an Iraqi Imam who founded Salaheddin Mosque in the Scarborough district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Fateh Kamel was arrested in 1999 on charges of supporting a terrorist plot against attacks against French targets in Paris, and was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment.
Abousfian Abdelrazik or Abu Sufian Abd Al-Razziq is a Sudanese-born Canadian dual citizen.
An Egyptian resident of British Columbia, Essam Hafez Mohammed Marzouk arrived in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1993 as a refugee fleeing persecution in Pakistan. He was one of 14 people subjected to extraordinary rendition by the CIA prior to the 2001 declaration of a War on Terror.
Arthur Thomas Porter IV was a Canadian physician and hospital administrator.
Mossad, short for HaMossad leModiʿin uleTafkidim Meyuḥadim is the national intelligence agency of Israel. It is one of the main entities in the Israeli Intelligence Community, along with Aman and Shin Bet.