DEKYAS NEWS World Breaking News and Trusted Source
Related Articles
Conservative MPs are calling on the House Public Safety Committee to investigate the case of a Toronto father and son accused of multiple terrorism-related offences.
Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi, 62, and his son Mostafa Eldidi, 26, were arrested last month and face a total of nine charges. They each face one count of conspiracy to commit murder for or on the orders of a terrorist group — namely ISIS, a militant Sunni Muslim organization.
House Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer told reporters on Tuesday that his party has questions about the immigration screening for both men.
“For Canadians to have confidence in our immigration system, we need to know that in every case, in every application, due diligence and proper screening is done. That clearly did not happen in this situation and lives were nearly lost,” he said.
Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer is calling on the Bloc Québécois and the NDP to recall a committee to investigate an alleged father-son terror plot in Toronto. Scheer says the Trudeau government owes Canadians answers about how the duo — who have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder for the benefit or at the direction of a terrorist group — were allowed into the country.
The Conservative push for a commission investigation comes after Global News reported over the weekend that Ahmad Fouad Mostafa Eldidi took part in an attack seen in a video released by ISIS before he emigrated to Canada. Global’s report cites anonymous sources. CBC News has not verified the existence of the video.
The indictment alleges that Ahmad Fouad Mostafa Eldidi committed aggravated assault in 2015 somewhere outside Canada on behalf of the Islamic State, but does not provide further details.
When asked Tuesday if he had seen the video himself, Scheer said he had only seen public accounts of the incident.
RCMP Supt. James Parr said at a news conference last week that both men are Canadian citizens. The RCMP later clarified that only the father is a Canadian citizen.
In a joint statement issued Tuesday night, the offices of Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Immigration Minister Marc Miller accused the official opposition of playing political games.
“The Conservatives would rather risk undoing the great work of our security services just to score a few political points,” they said.
“The people who work tirelessly to keep Canadians safe deserve better from their elected representatives.”
The ministers’ statement said the RCMP has shared what they could so far.
“We leave it to them to do their job and ensure that those who would jeopardize the security of our country are held accountable for their actions,” the authorities said.
Scheer said he is not concerned that a committee inquiry will disrupt the police investigation or judicial proceedings. He urged MPs to focus on concerns about Canada’s immigration system.
“If Canadians find out that their own government has admitted someone with ties to ISIS and granted that person citizenship, it is absolutely right that the government be held accountable,” he said.
A spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said the organization cannot comment on individual cases.
“What we can tell you is that the security screening of foreign nationals is a joint effort between Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), CSIS and the CBSA,” Luke Reimer said in an email.
“CBSA’s screening decisions are based on the information available at the time.”
Scheer said the committee should hear from LeBlanc and government officials who approved the elder Eldidi’s immigration application. He called on the NDP and Bloc Québécois to support the Conservatives’ motion.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Tuesday that the Eldidis’ case raises concerns about the immigration system, but he did not say whether he would support an investigation by the public safety committee.
“We’re going to look at what the best approach is to investigate this. But clearly this is something we need to take seriously and we need to find answers as to why this happened and how we can prevent it in the future,” Singh told reporters at an unrelated news conference.
Two men appear in court on Wednesday
According to the RCMP, the father and son were arrested on July 28 in a hotel room in Richmond Hill, Ontario, after a month-long investigation involving multiple police forces.
The alleged attack is said to be aimed at Toronto, Parr said, though the exact nature of the threat is under a publication ban. Parr said there is no ongoing threat to city residents.
The pair are also accused of weapons possession, namely possession of an axe and a machete. According to police, they had the weapons with them in the hotel when they were arrested.
The two men appeared briefly in court last week and are expected back in court on Wednesday.
