RCMP say they have conducted a criminal investigation in Montreal and Toronto.Canadian police and intelligence services arrested two men in an al-Qaeda-linked plot to attack a VIA Rail passenger train with the express intent to inflict mass causalities and cause terror on Canadian soil, investigators announced on Monday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced at a press conference that two men -- Chiheb Esseghaier and Raed Jaser –were arrested in Montreal and Toronto on Monday after an extensive investigation into a plot believed to be connected to al-Qaeda.
The plan to derail a passenger train – reportedly during a trip between Toronto and New York – could have resulted in a high number of casualties and scarred a region already suffering from last week’s bombing of the Boston Marathon.
The RCMP said the suspects scouted railroads in the Toronto area as part of their preparations. The pair had been under investigation for an extended period of time and investigators said they were ready to act if they went into action.
The suspects are not Canadian citizens. RCMP said the suspects were receiving support from al-Qaeda representatives in Iran.
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“While the RCMP believed that these individuals had the capacity and intent to carry out these criminal acts, there was no imminent threat to the general public, rail employees, train passengers or infrastructure,” the RCMP said in a statement.
Investigators claimed the two suspects face charges of “conspiring to carry out an attack against, and conspiring to murder persons unknown for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a terrorist group.”
CBC News originally broke the news of the arrest on Monday and reported the plot was not connected to last week's bombing in Boston nor a group from London, Ont., which has been connected to a recent attack on an Alergian gas refinery.
“Each and every terrorist arrest the RCMP makes sends a message and illustrates our strong resolve to root out terrorist threats and keep Canadians and our allies safe,” Assistant Commissioner James Malizia said in a statement.
“A meaningful response to these threats begins on Canadian streets and in Canadians homes and the RCMP works with all their partners, including communities across Canada, in the fight against terrorism.”
The arrests come at an auspicious time, as members in the House of Commons debate a bill that would strengthen Canada's anti-terrorism laws.
The arrests are bound to bring to mind the case of the "Toronto 18" terrorist group that were said to be behind a plot to bomb the CSIS headquarters, Toronto Stock Exchange and various other targets, as well as storm Parliament Hill and behead the prime minister.
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