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June 05, 2006

More Canadian crocodile news - UPDATED

***Updates at bottom***

Details

WASHINGTON -- The arrest of 17 terrorism suspects in Canada is part of a continuing, multinational probe into suspected terrorist cells in at least seven countries, a US counterterrorism official confirmed yesterday.

The senior US law enforcement official said authorities are combing through evidence seized during raids in Canada this weekend to look for possible connections between the 17 suspects arrested Friday and at least 18 other Islamist militants who have been arrested in locations including the United States, Bangladesh, Bosnia, Britain, Denmark, and Sweden.

The investigation began as separate probes into what authorities believed were localized cells of militant Muslim young men, who shared an interest in radical ideology on the Internet in various countries and, to a lesser extent, in local mosques and training camps.

But over the past year, the counterterrorism authorities of those countries began to see connections among the cells, in part through electronic surveillance of phone calls and Internet correspondence, as well as ground surveillance of individual suspects, several US officials said in interviews yesterday.

Of course, let the charges of a anti-moslem plot begin
Police planted evidence: Terrorists’ arrest in Toronto was a sting operation

* No evidence suspects planned to attack US

By Khalid Hasan

WASHINGTON: The three tonnes of ammonium nitrate found with the Totonto terrorism suspects was planted by the police in an elaborate sting operation.
[...]
According to the Globe and Mail, defence lawyer Rocco Galati, who was representing some of the suspects, protested the intense security measures at the court. Galati later scoffed at the allegations. “I’ve seen fertiliser for the last eight years,” he said.

Aly Hindy, a Toronto imam, said he knew several of the accused because they prayed at his mosque but said they were not terrorists. “The charges are to keep George Bush happy, that’s all,” he added sardonically. The Globe and Mail did not mention that all incriminating evidence had been planted on the suspects.

Yes, all those peace-loving Islamists were framed
He had questions, as did Jacobs, about exactly how three tonnes of ammonium nitrate were "acquired" by the suspects. The Star has learned that when investigators monitoring the men found out about the alleged purchase of the fertilizer, they intervened before delivery, switching the potentially deadly material with a harmless substance.

Jacobs advised vigilance in seeing what comes out in court about how far police went. He said that the courts have been drawing a line past which law enforcement officers can't go without being seen as having induced the commission of a criminal offence. [...]

Michael Edmunds, administrator of the U of T's McLuhan Program in Culture & Technology, argues the public is already so influenced by television that people are receptive to the kind of message sent out by police on the weekend.

Unconsciously, receptive audiences for police actions are created by such TV shows as the Fox hit 24, starring Kiefer Sutherland as counter-terrorist agent Jack Bauer. Viewers sympathize with Bauer, no matter what he has to do, because they want him to get the bad guys and protect the free world.

Edmunds argued that certain memes — or unspoken beliefs in any culture — are constantly being reinforced. Here, he said, the message was that police know what they are doing and they are protecting us.

"It's all global theatre, as Marshall McLuhan used to say. We assume the police want to help us and we assume it's good."

I suppose Edmunds would rather we assume the police/military are NOT out to help us and that they wish us HARM.

But never ever assume that Islamists want to establish a world-wide Caliphate, institute Sharia and make non-moslems second-class citizens, no matter what they write or how many weapons they acquire.

'Cuz that assumption would be profiling and Islamophobia.

UPDATE even the Ass. Press can't help its knee-jerk Islamist sympathy - get a load of the headline:
asspress_headline.jpg
(hattip Annika)

UPDATE 2 More evidence that appeasing Islamists by Canadians didn't have any effect on the terrorist plot.

Sat, 27 May 2006: The Ontario division of Canada's largest union has voted to support an international campaign that is boycotting Israel over its treatment of Palestinians. [...]

The global campaign started last July and has been supported by many North American churches, 20 Quebec organizations, and others, Canadian Press said.

CUPE also condemned what they called Israel's "apartheid wall," saying it is illegal under international law.

Ya think the three tons of ammonia nitrate just might clue these leftbots that Islamists hate 'em NOT because they are insufficiently antisemite, but because they are NOT moslem?

UPDATE 3 Lies one tells to others are bad, the lies one tells to oneself are compounded by tragedy. Who is Toronto Police Chief Blair trying to fool?

Muhammad Alam, president of the Islamic Foundation of Toronto, told a crowded hall where many Muslims expressed concern about the arrests.

"This is not about religion or faith," but about political and social situations around the world, he said.

Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair agreed, saying the accused were motivated by an ideology based on politics and violence, not by faith.

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Posted by Darleen at June 5, 2006 07:36 AM

Comments

Awww.... Poor babies.... they got sucked in ... INTRAPMENT!... the Libturd press is really out doing itself on this one.... Like the new Alien-Cams in Texas. How long before the MSM will be wailing about "invasion of privacy", and trampling on the Illegals "civil rights". The moonbats have already moved that goalpost from "human" to "civil", assuming all those lesser masses in the electorate out there in flyover country are paste eating idiots that won't know the difference, and unillaterily claiming Constitutional rights for the border jumpers. It's getting sickeningly predictable.

Breaking - Peru elects Conservative Democrat Alan Garcia President.... Chevez backed Marxist Ollania Humala Humiliated....Sheehan and Belefonte in seclusion…

Posted by: Big Bang Hunter at June 5, 2006 09:23 AM

Darleen, a couple of thoughts to counter the hysterical vitriol in your recent posts about this:

1. Whether or not the Canadian authorities uncovered this plot "in part through electronic surveillance of phone calls and Internet correspondence" is completely beside the point. No one is questioning the legality or effectiveness of electronic surveillance of suspects. It happens all the time and before 9/11. The question is whether it is necessary for citizens of Canada, or this country, to completely surrender to electronic and others kinds of surveillance WITHOUT court approval.
It's really that simple.

2. I heard a Washington Post reporter on the Newshour tonight assert that Qayyum Abdul Jamal's behavior and statements IN HIS OWN MOSQUE had aroused the suspicion and fear among muslims there, who then went to the authorities. Contrary to your typically paranoid, Muslims-are-all-plotting-to-kill-non-Muslims theme, we might learn from this that there are a lot more reasonable, law abiding Muslims in these ostracized communities than terrorists.

Posted by: Brad at June 5, 2006 06:26 PM

Brad - Personally have not a doubt in the world that the vast majority of Muslims are in fact, peace loving and just trying to live their day to day lives like every other sane person on the planet, particularly those that hive migrated west. The only problem I have with the peaceful Muslims, is their stubborn refusal to consistantly, and vociferously condemn the religious hijackers in their mist. That reticence also, in itself, tends to feed suspicions of quiet inward support of the Jihadists, which really hurts their cause with the general public.

It also tends to cause the hysteria of which you speak, and "pushback". Someone on another blog the other day, who resides in England (responding to the business's curtailment of showing the British "jack" flag story), said that flag showing has become almost a fetish, to the point of "parties", and huge bedsheet sized versions, draped over roof tops.

- The Muslims, and their more moderate Imams/Mullahs, are not helping their own case.

Posted by: Big Bang Hunter at June 5, 2006 08:17 PM