Student accused of supporting Tigers loses extradition appeal

A University of Waterloo student has lost his appeal to avoid extradition to the United States on charges he supported the Tigers, a declared terrorist group.

The Ontario Court of Appeal ruled that Ramanan Mylvaganam, who is in his early 30s and from Malton, Ont., very likely knew he was assisting the group.

In the decision released on Friday, three judges said it could be “reasonably inferred” that Mylvaganam “knew he was assisting the LTTE for the prohibited purposes.”

Mylvaganam was a computer engineering student at the time of his arrest in 2006.

Three other suspects with ties to the university and the Tamil Students Association were among 12 men charged.

The arrests followed a joint investigation by the FBI and the RCMP into an alleged plot to buy weapons, launder money through front charities and smuggle equipment to the Tigers.

In his October 8, 2008 appeal, Mylvaganam didn’t dispute the charges against him. Instead, he argued the evidence didn’t support the extradition judge’s conclusion that he acted with “requisite knowledge and intent to support or participate in terrorist activity.”

- The Canadian Press