RCMP arrest 18-year-old in Montreal on 'allegations of terrorism' after FBI tip
The arrest of Mohamed Amine Assal was announced Thursday
The RCMP announced Thursday that they arrested an 18-year-old St-Laurent resident based on information from the FBI alleging he was involved in terrorism.
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“Based on intelligence from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, this morning RCMP officers arrested Mohamed Amine Assal, 18, of (the St-Laurent borough). This police operation was aimed at disrupting the suspicious activities of Mr. Assal and ensuring he undertakes to keep the peace pursuant to (a peace bond),” the RCMP said in a statement.
“Following a short investigation by the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET), the RCMP had reasonable grounds to fear that an individual may commit a terrorism offence. The investigation is ongoing and all evidence will be analyzed. Charges may be laid at a later date.”
Assal appeared before Quebec Court Judge Alexandre Dalmau Thursday afternoon. Through his defence lawyer, Michael Morena, he agreed to follow a series of conditions in order to be released while he awaits a hearing to determine if he agrees to the peace bond.
Assal agreed to respect a curfew that requires him to be home between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. He is also not allowed to associate with people who have a criminal record or cases pending.
The prosecutor who listed the conditions said Assal is not allowed to “participate in terrorist activities” as defined in the Criminal Code of Canada. He is also not allowed to possess weapons or use the internet except for school and cannot access websites tied to terrorism.
When the judge asked Assal if he understood the conditions, he only asked that the hours of his curfew be repeated.
Dalmau agreed to set the next date in the case for May 4.
The home where Assal resides in St-Laurent was being searched by RCMP investigators on Thursday.
A document filed in the case, requesting that Assal sign the peace bond, is based on “the grounds stated in (an) affidavit.” An RCMP investigator alleges they “have reason to fear that Assal will commit an offence of terrorism.”
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According to information obtained by the Montreal Gazette, the investigation began on March 14, based on information from the FBI that a user of Telegram Messenger, a free and open source app, was “discussing violent acts of terrorism motivated by radical Islamist ideology.”
The FBI learned that a person with the username @abujoe000 was connecting to IP addresses at CEGEP Édouard-Montpetit and at an address that turned out to be the home of Assal’s family in St-Laurent.
The school confirmed to the RCMP that Assal was a student there and that he is studying aircraft maintenance.
The day after the investigation began, the RCMP obtained a warrant allowing investigators to place Assal under surveillance. He was suspected of facilitating and counselling terrorist acts.
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The FBI had a source who claimed an ISIS supporter based in Italy associated with a person behind the username Assal is alleged to have used on Telegram Messenger. The source alleged that the ISIS supporter in Italy was radicalized at the same time as the person behind the @abujoe000 username.
The source also said the ISIS supporter in Italy had convinced six people, including the person behind the @abujoe000 username, to “conduct attacks.”
The same source alleged the person was secretly recruiting people to join ISIS.
As the investigation progressed, the RCMP learned that the person behind the @abujoe000 username had an exchange with another person on Telegram Messenger on Feb. 28 during which they appeared to discuss how to make a pipe bomb.
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“Is black powder enough to be explosive on its own or do I need to add more materials,” the other person asked through the app.
“I’ll go check,” @abujoe000 replied.
“BTW FBI we’re talking about firecrackers (sic) which r legal,” the other person wrote, apparently assuming the FBI was monitoring the conversation.
The person behind the @abujoe000 username then recommended taping nails to the outside of a pipe bomb to allow debris to scatter more when it is detonated.
When @abujoe000 suggested he and the other person “hop an a call,” the latter replied that he was “not in a call safe area, so to speak.”
Police emerged just after 2:30 p.m. Thursday from Assal’s house on Bourgoin St., in a residential neighbourhood of neat duplexes, carrying computers wrapped in plastic bags. They had spent several hours inside the house Thursday afternoon.
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Neighbours on the street said they did not know the family, as they had just moved in in February.
Residents who lived next door to the Assal family’s previous home on Alexis-Nihon Blvd. in the same borough described them as friendly and quiet. The father was Moroccan and worked for a coffee company, they said.
“They even took out our garbage and shovelled our walkway,” said an elderly neighbour. “They were very nice. Never any problems.”
René Bruemmer of the Montreal Gazette contributed to this report.
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