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| Great White North |
| Al-Qa'ida suspect might be Canadian |
| 2004-08-08 |
| Citizenship records have turned up a match but authorities skeptical JANICE TIBBETTS CanWest News Service August 8th, 2004 The Canadian government is investigating a report that a man of Pakistani origin who was arrested for his role in an extensive Al-Qa'ida terrorist plot might be a Canadian citizen. The mid-July detention in Pakistan of a young computer engineer, Mohammed Naeem Noor Khan, triggered a chain reaction of arrests of high-profile Al-Qa'ida operatives and unearthed information that U.S. officials say prompted them to raise their terror alert last week. Foreign Affairs spokesperson Reynald Doiron said yesterday that the federal department has contacted its counterparts in Pakistan. The department wanted to confirm a Times of London newspaper report, quoting a Pakistani official as saying Khan, 25, is a Canadian. Canada's high commissioner in Islamabad has requested that Pakistani officials supply a date of birth, place of birth and photo of Khan to compare with Canadian records. Foreign Affairs has checked citizenship records and come up with a name match, but Doiron cautioned against reading too much into this because of spelling variations of Khan's given names and the fact he has a common surname. The Times of London, Reuters and the Associated Press, citing sources, have all reported Pakistani intelligence authorities forced Khan to take part in a "sting" operation that has led to the arrest of some of Osama bin Laden's most dangerous agents. Khan e-mailed Al-Qa'ida comrades while in custody in Pakistan and some of them responded, but the operation might have been compromised after Khan's name appeared in U.S. newspapers. Khan, in his e-mails, advised his contacts in Britain and the U.S. that there were new orders from Al-Qa'ida's high command. Experts in Islamabad, meanwhile, examined Khan's cache of computer discs that contained extensive plans of possible attack targets in Britain and the U.S., including a meticulous surveillance of Heathrow airport in London. Khan, who speaks flawless English, can travel relatively easily from east to west because of his Canadian citizenship, Pakistani sources told the Times. © The Gazette (Montreal) 2004 |
| Posted by:Mark Espinola |
| #1 I seem to recall that in the past being Pakistani AL Qaeda terrorists wasn't deemed reason enough to revoke Canandian citizenship from the father and 5(?) sons who wanted to return to their Toronto home... and I don't believe their English was flawless, so why the fuss this time? I mean, its not like Khan blew anybody up, or anything. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2004-08-09 12:08:33 AM |