Founded in 2001, Project O Canada was a Toronto-based[1] anti-terrorism investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Created in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks,[2] subdivisions of the project named A-O Canada and C-O Canada were based in Ottawa and Montreal, RCMP Divisions A and C respectively.[2] By December 2001, the RCMP was shifting its focus from gathering intelligence, to seeking information "in a manner suitable for court purposes".[3]
The project was ultimately found to have played a "central role"[5] in the wrongful rendition and torture of Canadian citizens, including Maher Arar, who was tortured for ten months before being found innocent of the officers' claims that he was "suspected of being linked to the Al Qaeda terrorist movement".[6]
First months
Best Copy storefront
Growing out of an earlier project begun in 1997,[7] the 35-officer[8] project initially focused on the actions and acquaintances of NGO-worker Ahmed Khadr, who was believed to be financially supporting Islamic militants in Afghanistan.[9]
They also investigated claims from local residents that a man who resembled Mohamed Atta had worked part-time at the Best Copycopy shop in downtown Toronto, seizing the store's records and investigating its customers, adding a number of them to an Interpol database.[10]
By October, the RCMP claimed to have identified 10-12 "al-Qaida suspects" in the city,[10] and a month later reported they had "undertaken 24-hour surveillance of at least five suspected supporters of Osama bin Laden."[11]
Expansion of the project
The priorities that everybody had been assigned to, or working on, prior to 9/11, were basically put on the shelf and everybody was redirected to try and address the threat and the crisis that was ongoing with respect to terrorist attacks.
In October 2001, the RCMP's Toronto office met with Ottawa officers in Newmarket, Ontario and requested they form a Project A-O division.[3] Its first task was to help Toronto by taking over the investigation of the electronics store owner Abdullah Almalki, who had worked for Human Concern International at the same time as Khadr.[9] Almalki had been under surveillance by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service since he first met with Khadr in 1998.[12]
Project C-O meanwhile put Abdelrahman, the younger brother of Mohamad Elzahabi working as a mechanic in Montreal, "under a microscope".[13]
The Ottawa office, under the control of Cpl. Randal Walsh,[3] Garry Clement[15] and Supt. Mike Cabana,[16] quickly moved from providing assistance to their Toronto colleagues, and began conducting their own investigations focusing primarily on Abdullah Almalki and Ahmad Abou El Maati.[2]
The Mango Cafe
When Almalki met with telecommunications engineer Maher Arar at the Mango Cafeshawarma restaurant in Ottawa to discuss local doctors and printer cartridges, officers clandestinely acquired his 1997 lease agreement from Minto Developments Inc.,[2] and saw that he had listed Almalki as an emergency contact. He was subsequently placed under surveillance by Project A-O,[3][9] and his name added to a Canada Customs "terrorist lookout list", although it was later determined there was no evidence to support such an action.[17]
In January 2002, Cpl. Randy Walsh received search warrants to raid seven homes, although later analysis suggested that if he had been honest about their evidence before the judge, the warrants would not have been granted.[18] A publication ban initially prevented the media from reporting the identities of those targeted, although later reports confirmed which buildings had been searched.[9]
The Montreal home and business of Ibrahym Adam, the mechanic who gave el-Maati a job.[4]
In addition, while they lacked a warrant to search his house, officers visited Arar to discover he was overseas. When he returned, he agreed to discussions with a lawyer present, but the RCMP found the requirement too "stringent" and did not follow up.[3]
In April 2002, Project A-O sent American officials their complete files without any limits on its use or "regard for the rights of citizens",[19] leading to tension between RCMP headquarters and the anti-terrorism project.[16] The Americans later used faxes detailing the sale of walkie talkies seized at Almalki's house in the raid as evidence in their trial against Mohamad Elzahabi.[20]
In August, after Almalki was arrested in Syria - Project A-O officers wanted to send Syria information about him, as well as a list of questions that they wanted him to answer, stating that "Depending on his willingness to answer truthfully and depending on the answers he provides you, a second series of questions has been prepared for him".[21] Sgt. Rick Flewelling, from the RCMP headquarters, intervened and insisted that the Department of Justice and Foreign Affairs would have to be involved [16][21]
In September 2002, the A-O division began asking the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) to help them secure the ability to travel to Syria to interrogate Almalki themselves, or at least direct how he would be interrogated by Syrians. When DFAIT officer Jonathan Solomon demanded to know whether they would be clear not to use torture, since it had already been used against Ahmed el-Maati, A-O Division officers "got awkward" and Cabana claimed that it was possible that el-Maati had just been lying about Syria using torture.[4] Also in September, as Arar was en route to New York from Switzerland, Project A-O officers faxed a memo to Americans which involved a number of "false claims" about Arar, stating that he and his wife were "Islamic Extremist individuals suspected of being linked to the Al Qaeda terrorist movement".[6] Arar was subsequently arrested and deported to Syria where he was tortured for ten months before being found innocent of any wrongdoing.[17][22]
The project also sent officers to Pakistan in 2005, after it was announced that Khadr's son Abdullah had been arrested. Abdullah stated that when he was about 14 years old, his father had purchased two pairs of walkie talkies from Almalki, although his lawyers later argued the statement had been made due to his mistreatment by Pakistani officials.[21]
Members
Toronto Members
Name
Subdivision
Role
Later work
Scott Mills
Ontario Provincial Police
One of the first members in September 2001, leading investigation into el-Maati. Assumed to have questioned him on November 11, 2001.[23]
Ottawa Members
Name
Subdivision
Role
Later work
Cpl. Randy Buffam
RCMP
Interviewed Arar in January 2002, later refused to speak with journalist Mike Trickey at the Ottawa Citizen.[23]
Insp. Michel Cabana
RCPM, first leader of Project A-O
Oversaw Project A-O from October 5, 2001 through February 4, 2003.[23]
Was promoted to Superintendent upon completing project.[23]
Assigned to investigate Arar after the Mango's lunch.[4]
Sgt. Rock Fillion
Gatineau police
Assigned to investigate Arar after the Mango's lunch.[4]
Fallout
After it was discovered that Canadian authorities had been complicit in the rendition and torture of an innocent Canadian, a Royal Commission was formed to investigate. Project A-O figured prominently in the explanation of Canada's anti-terrorism investigations, while attorney Don Bayne unsuccessfully argued that since the RCMP couldn't disclose full information due to national security concerns, it therefore shouldn't have to disclose any information about the project.[5]
The Commission determined that the Project A-O officers "lacked experience and training in conducting national security investigations".[24]
Maher Arar is a telecommunications engineer with dual Syrian and Canadian citizenship who has resided in Canada since 1987.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service is a foreign intelligence service and security agency of the federal government of Canada. It is responsible for gathering, processing, and analyzing national security information from around the world and conducting covert action within Canada and abroad. CSIS reports to the Minister of Public Safety, and is subject to review by the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency.
Amro Badr Eldin Abou el-Maati is a Kuwaiti-Canadian alleged member of al-Qaeda. He is wanted for questioning by the FBI for having attended flight school and having discussed hijacking a Canadian plane to fly into American buildings. He has been referred to as "Canada's most wanted terrorist".
Giuliano Zaccardelli is an Italian-born Canadian retired police officer who served as the 20th commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) from 2000 to 2006. His departure from the RCMP was linked to the force's involvement in the Maher Arar affair. Zaccardelli was later impugned during inquiries into irregularities in the management of the RCMP's pension and insurance fund. He subsequently became a senior official with Interpol in Lyon, France, heading its OASIS Africa program, which aims to help African police forces more effectively combat international crime.
Abdullah Almalki is a Canadian engineer who was imprisoned and tortured for two years in a Syrian jail after Canadian officials falsely indicated to the Syrian authorities and other countries that he was a terrorist threat.
Ahmed Saïd Khadr was an Egyptian-Canadian philanthropist with alleged ties to al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan. His activity in Afghanistan began in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, and he has been described as having had ties to a number of militants within the Afghan mujahideen, including Saudi militant Osama bin Laden. Khadr was accused by Canada and the United States of being a "senior associate" and financier of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.
The Khadr family is an Egyptian-Canadian family noted for their ties to Osama bin Laden and connections to al-Qaeda.
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Abdullah Ahmed Said Khadr is a Canadian citizen whose alleged ties to terrorism resulted in a protracted international legal issue. Born in Canada, he grew up in Pakistan. As the oldest son of Ahmed Khadr, who had ties to the Afghani Mujahideen, Abdullah was sent to the Khalden military training camp as a boy. As a young adult, he allegedly became an arms dealer, selling illicit weapons to militants involved in the War in Afghanistan and related conflicts.
Far' Falastine, also known as Branch 235, is a prison operated by Syrian Intelligence under the charge of Brig. Gen. Kamal Hassan between 2017 and 2020, located in Damascus, notorious for accounts of torture, coercive interrogation, and deplorable conditions related by its former detainees.
Sgt. Konrad Lionel Shourie is a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer assigned to the Integrated National Security Enforcement Teams.
Arwad al-Boushi is a Syrian-born Canadian oil-industry worker. He is notable for being at the center of the controversy over the detention and torture of Canadian citizens that has been attributed to Canadian counter-terrorism officials.
Vincent Thomas Bevan is a retired Canadian police officer who served as the chief of police of the Ottawa Police Service from April 2000 to March 2007. He led one of the largest police services in Canada and was one of only six Canadian chiefs in the Major Cities Chiefs Association.
Jack Hooper is the former deputy director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) who became well known mainly for his role in some of Canada's most sensitive and controversial spy-service scandals, including CSIS's involvement in the case of Maher Arar, a Canadian engineer father of two who was sent to Syria where he was imprisoned without charges and tortured.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has a history dating back to 1873 and has been involved in several high-profile controversies.
Robert Fife is a Canadian political journalist and author who served as Ottawa bureau chief for The Globe and Mail.
Muayyed Nureddin is an Iraqi-born Canadian geologist who was imprisoned and tortured in Syria after being arrested in December 2003. After a public inquiry in 2008 and then pursuing a civil litigation for nearly ten years, in July 2017, Nureddin and two other torture victims settled their claims with the Canadian government.
Richard Proulx is a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Assistant Commissioner. He was the head of national security investigations at RCMP headquarters in 2003 during the "Maher Arar Affair".
Barbara Louise Jackman is a Canadian lawyer specializing in immigration and refugee law, with particular emphasis on cases involving domestic violence and international human rights issues, torture and other cruel or unusual punishment, allegations of membership in and/or support of terrorist organizations, the rights and protections afforded by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and Canada's responsibilities under international treaties. She has been described as being one of Canada's most effective advocates for immigration and refugee rights.
The National Intelligence Coordination Centre is a branch of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that deals with online threats. It was created in 2013 and deals with online crimes at home and abroad. It also monitors terrorist groups or protestors who might sabotage infrastructure.
↑ Butler, Don. Ottawa Citizen, "RCMP used 'disturbing' tactics to get warrants; Didn't tell judges information came from Syrian agents", August 10, 2007
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