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.
Article content
“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.”
Article content
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.
Article content
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.
Article content
“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.
Article content
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.
https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/rcmp-arrests-st-laurent-resident-on-allegations-of-terrorism/wcm/de9f1184-7304-44df-a5de-b8fd2a200ab3
Boudica
.svg.png)
