Two men could spend the rest of their lives in prison after being found guilty of several terrorism-related charges for plotting to attack a passenger train traveling from New York to Toronto.
Prosecutors had argued during the trial that the men were motivated by Muslim extremism and spent months plotting to kill as many people as they could. Investigators said the men received guidance from members of al-Qaeda, in what they called the first known attack planned by the terrorist network in Canada.
Raed Jaser, a longtime resident of Canada of Palestinian descent, and Tunisian-born Chiheb Esseghaier were arrested in 2013. Jaser, 37, and Esseghaier, 32, had pleaded not guilty.
On Friday, the 10th day of deliberations, the jury found both men guilty of conspiring to commit murder in association with a terrorist group. The men, who will be sentenced on April 10, could face maximum punishment of up to life in prison.
Jaser’s lawyer had argued that his client was only feigning interest in the alleged terror plot as part of an elaborate scheme to extract money from his codefendant and an undercover FBI agent who befriended the men.
Esseghaier appeared unruffled as the Toronto jury found him guilty on all five terrorism charges against him. He calmly repeated that he had not participated in the trial and did not want to take part in sentencing arguments either.
Jaser looked at the ceiling at one point after the jury delivered their verdicts, finding him guilty of three out of the four charges he faced. He then kept his right hand up to his face through the rest of the proceeding, biting his knuckles at one point.
Outside the courthouse, prosecutor Croft Michaelson called Jaser and Esseghaier “real serious public dangers,” and thanked US authorities for their cooperation in the investigation.
The investigation surrounding the planned attack was part of a cross-border operation involving Canadian law enforcement agencies, the US FBI and the US Department of Homeland Security. Canadian police said the men never got close to carrying out the attack.
Train routes between the US and Canada, including the Maple Leaf from New York City to Toronto, are jointly operated by Amtrak and Via Rail Canada.
Law enforcement officials in New York with knowledge of the investigation told reporters back in 2013 that the attack was to take place on the Canadian side of the border.
Police were originally tipped off by an imam worried by the behavior of one of the suspects.
Jaser, who was born in the United Arab Emirates to Palestinian parents, was living in Toronto at the time of his arrest.
Esseghaier, who was pursuing a doctorate in Montreal when he was arrested in 2013, chose not to participate in his trial, because he had wanted to be judged by the rules of the Koran.
He did not cross-examine any witnesses, refused to mount a defense and frequently fell asleep in the prisoner’s box.
The trial, which began on Feb. 2, heard hours of secretly recorded conversations between Jaser, Esseghaier and an FBI agent who posed as a wealthy US businessman with radical views.
It was on those wiretaps that Jaser and Esseghaier were heard musing about alleged terror plots to be carried out in retaliation for Canadian military action in predominantly Muslim countries.
Investigators said the men were advised by al-Qaeda members in Iran. That raised questions about the extent of Shiite-led Iran’s complicated relationship with al-Qaeda, the predominantly Sunni Arab terrorist network. Iran’s history with the group ranges from alliances of convenience to outright hostility, even overtures by Tehran to assist Washington after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the US.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese