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QUEBEC'S LEAGUE OF RIGHTS and FREEDOM PROTESTS
MOROCCAN'S Arrest
Canada
carrying 'guilt by association' to a new
depth
Charkaoui visited
Pakistan
in 1998 [3 years
before
9.11]:
That's a Crime!
Are there Indians in Canadian Intelligence
trying to Stop Travel to Pakistan?
[If you traveled to Pakistan while an Islamic
opponent of the
U.S.
was in
Afghanistan,
you are a terrorist too! If you
talked to anyone who later turned
out to a be a fighter against America, you are a
terrorist. You become a
terrorist by talking to the one who is against
America. Even Hitler had not thought
up this kind of excuse for arresting anyone -
editor of New Trend]
Wed. May. 28 2003
{Excerpts from ASL}
MONTREAL —— A Moroccan native facing deportation
is a "dormant agent" of al
Qaeda who could plan terrorist attacks at any
time, says Canada's spy agency.
The federal government also says Charkaoui knew
Ahmed Ressam, who was
convicted of planning to bomb U.S. targets during
millennium celebrations.
The documents [which Canada says it has] don't
link Charkaoui to any specific
terrorist plots or attacks, but he's accused of
knowing a number of convicted
or alleged terrorists.
Canadian law allows the Federal Court to withhold
evidence from Charkaoui and
the public to protect what the government deems
to be "national security."
CSIS says Charkaoui was an associate of Abdellah
Ouzghar, who French
authorities say was also a member of the Montreal
al Qaeda cell.
Charkaoui, a permanent Canadian resident, was
nabbed last week and detained
on a security certificate, part of a rarely used
section of the Immigration and
Refugee Protection Act.
He has previously denied any involvement with
terrorist groups. His lawyer
couldn't be reached on Tuesday and federal
government lawyers were not available
for comment.
The accusations against Charkaoui sparked outrage
from several human-rights
groups on Tuesday, including the Quebec-based
League of Rights and Freedoms.
"With a security certificate, a person can be
arrested and detained without
being accused of a crime," the group said in a
news release.
"His lawyer has no knowledge of the specific
allegations and doesn't have
access to the entire body of evidence.
"(This) goes against the fundamental rules of
justice."
The group also said
Amnesty International
and the
American Bar Association
have denounced the Canadian government's case
against Charkaoui.
A Federal Court justice is scheduled to begin
hearing arguments on Friday to
determine the validity of the security
certificate, which is the first step in
the deportation process.
The government documents contain several other
elements allegedly linking
Charkaoui with al Qaeda.
CSIS says Charkaoui visited Pakistan in 1998 at
the same time Ressam was
training in an al Qaeda camp in nearby
Afghanistan.
Also training at the camp with Ressam was
Zacharias Moussaoui, who is accused
by U.S. authorities of planning to participate in
the Sept. 11, 2001,
jetliner attacks on New York and Washington, D.C.
The documents don't say whether Charkaoui went to
the al Qaeda camps.
The Canadian government also says Charkaoui took
karate training similar to
the training undertaken by Ziad Jarrah, one of
the Sept. 11 hijackers. The
government brief doesn't say whether Charkaoui
trained any terrorists.
Charkaoui has said he taught a self-defense
course at a Montreal mosque and
that he was questioned by FBI agents who wanted
to know the names of his
students.
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[With thanks to Sis. Hamdiyeh, South Carolina.]
Homeland Security Silent about arrest of Islamic
Imam from South Africa
Associated Press
JUNE 1. READING, Pa. - A county Islamic leader
has been detained by the
Department
of Homeland Security and jailed in the Berks
County Prison.
Imam Shiraz Mansoor, a public figure and
community leader in Pottsville, was
arrested Thursday morning by four immigration
officers. His wife and
attorney say they have not been told the reasons
for his arrest.
An instructor, spiritual leader and figurehead of
the Islamic Society of
Schuylkill County, Mansoor is a South African
citizen and was seeking an
American residency and work visa. He arrived in
the United States six years
ago.
Prison officials told Razia Mansoor that her
husband cannot receive incoming
calls but can return messages. She has called the
prison several times since
the arrest but has not yet heard from her
husband.
"I'm praying everything goes well," Razia Mansoor
said. "I need to know how
he's doing. Our boys want to know where their
father is."
Prison officials said Mansoor may be quarantined
for up to 10 days.
James Slovik, the supervisor of detention and
deportation at Berks County
Prison, confirmed that immigration officials
brought Mansoor to the Reading
facility Thursday afternoon.
"But I can't give you any reasons," he said. "We
can't discuss anybody's
case."
Mansoor and all other inmates at the prison
cannot receive visitors because
the "facility is on lock-down for security
reasons," Slovik said. He refused
to be more specific.
A worker for the Department of Homeland Security,
Officer Lance Payne, did
not return calls seeking comment Friday.
Mansoor's immigration attorney, John Deluce, of
Philadelphia, said he knew
little about why his client was detained.
"This is not a common occurrence," Deluce said.
"Usually, pickups like this
are reserved for specific reasons. But in this
case, I don't know what that
reason could be. No one does, except them. We're
waiting for answers."
Deluce said he will try to secure a bond amount
and court date so Mansoor
can return home.
Information from: Pottsville Republican
Philly.com
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2003-06-03 Tue 18:13ct