Canadian Muslim Says He Infiltrated "Terror" Gang
Julie Farby - All Headline News Staff Writer Ottawa, Canada (AHN)-A well-known Toronto Muslim, Mubin Shaikh, says he acted as a government spy to infiltrate a gang accused of plotting terror attacks in Canada, describing the group as "fruitcakes" who could have caused great damage. The 29-year-old Mubin Shaikh tells CBC television and two major newspapers that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) spy service had asked him last year to try to infiltrate the group of 17 men, who were arrested in early June. Shaikh tells the Toronto Star, "I wanted to prevent the loss of life," adding that, "There are no combatants on the downtown streets of Toronto ... I don't want Canadians to think that these (people) are what Muslims are." The gang is accused of planning al Qaeda-inspired attacks in Ontario, Canada's most-populous province. Police allege the men plotted to detonate bombs at targets such as the Parliament buildings in Ottawa and Toronto's stock exchange. Shaikh says CSIS initially asked him to befriend the leader of the group, and later requested him to lead the group in a 10-day winter training course in guerrilla tactics. A spokeswoman for CSIS declined to comment, saying the service was barred from discussing sources. Meanwhile, lawyers for the 17 accused of the plot complain their clients are being treated harshly and suggest the police might have tried to improperly entrap them. Ho |
