Toronto mosque vandalised after 17 arrests
CANADA: Vandals smashed windows of a Toronto mosque after a weekend
police sweep that netted 17 suspected al Qaeda sympathizers accused of
plotting bomb attacks, and Canadian Muslims expressed fear on Sunday
that a backlash had begun.
"Numerous windows were smashed" at the mosque either late Saturday or
early on Sunday and the incident was being investigated, a police
official said in an interview.
A second official said he had no information on whether there was a
link between the vandalism and the arrests.
Mohammad Alam, the president Islamic Foundation of Toronto, said the
incident may be the beginning of religiously motivated reprisals against
the country's Muslim population, estimated at more than 600,000.
While he said he backed the government's efforts at stamping out
terrorism, Alam noted that nothing has been proven thus far in the case,
which has gripped the country.
"Like everybody knows, this is so far all allegation," Alam said. "To
us, it doesn't matter what religion they belong to - if they're a
terrorist, they're a terrorist, they should be punished according to the
law."
Tarek Fatah, spokesman for the Muslim Canadian Congress, said he felt
"a mixture of shock and relief" following the arrests, which began late
Friday. "It's too close to home," he said.
The suspects, all from Ontario, remained in custody ahead of their
next court appearance, scheduled for Tuesday.
Police say the men arrested on terrorism charges had amassed enough
explosives to build a bomb larger than the one used in the 1995 federal
building bombing in Oklahoma City, which killed 168 people, and were
planning to blow up targets in Ontario, Canada's political and economic
heart.
Meanwhile according to a hews report The Royal Canadian Mounted
Police itself delivered three tons of potential bomb-making material to
a group that authorities said wanted to launch a string of attacks
inspired by al-Qaida.
The Toronto Star reported that the sting unfolded when investigators
delivered the ammonium nitrate to the group of Muslim Canadians, then
moved in quickly on what officials called a homegrown terror ring.
The newspaper said that investigators learned of the group's alleged
plan to bomb targets around Ontario, then controlled the sale and
transport of the fertilizer.
Toronto, Monday, Reuters, AP. |