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Judge relaxes bail rules for Canadian terror suspect
A federal court has relaxed some bail conditions of Toronto terrorism suspect Mahmoud Jaballah, loosening round-the-clock supervision by allowing him to remain at home alone for up to six hours on weekdays. Justice Eleanor Dawson also extended his curfew and paved the way to letting Jaballah attend his son's wedding this summer. Although it was premature to rule on whether he can attend the ceremony, "as a matter of principle, every effort should be made to permit this," Dawson ruled. That ruling, released Friday, also lets Jaballah's children use a video-gaming system at home, provided certain conditions are met, such as not connecting it to the Internet. The judge also upheld the right of the Canada Border Services Agency to conduct "overt surveillance" on Jaballah while he is out in public with his family. The ruling came days after a judge agreed to send accused terrorist Mohammad Mahjoub back to jail after Mahjoub said he prefers life behind bars to the harassment by investigators his family faced while he was on bail. But Jaballah's lawyer, Barbara Jackman, said the conditions are still too restrictive. She had requested Jaballah be allowed to stay home without a supervising surety round the clock, which would have let his wife work full-time. "(The court) is not going to let him stay at home alone long enough for her to have a full-time job," Jackman said. The agency said that request would increase the risk of Jaballah communicating with unauthorized or prohibited people. Dawson imposed several conditions on Jaballah being left at home alone. He must notify CBSA before his supervisors leave, the home's computer room must remain locked, with a contact switch installed on the door, and he cannot receive visitors or deliveries. Dawson ruled against Jackman's request that Jaballah's son, a university student, be allowed to have a wireless computer in the house. Jaballah is accused by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service of involvement with the Egyptian Al Jihad. He is also allegedly linked to Canadians with suspected terrorism ties. The Egyptian refugee was released under house arrest in May 2007. The Canadian government wants to deport him back to Egypt, but Jaballah says he will face torture there. Posted by: ryuge 2009-03-24 |
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