Bail Hearings for 2 Men in Canada Terror Plot

TORONTO (AP) —
Chiheb Esseghaier, one of two men accused of plotting a terror attack on rail target, is led off a plane by an Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer at Buttonville Airport just north ofToronto Tuesday. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Chris Young)
Chiheb Esseghaier, one of two men accused of plotting a terror attack on rail target, is led off a plane by an Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer at Buttonville Airport just north ofToronto Tuesday. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Chris Young)

A suspect accused of plotting with al-Qaida in Iran to derail a train in Canada said Tuesday authorities were basing their conclusions on mere appearances. Iran, meanwhile, denied any involvement.

Canadian investigators say Raed Jaser, 35, and his suspected accomplice Chiheb Esseghaier,
30, received “directions and guidance” from members of al-Qaida in Iran. Iran said it had nothing to do with the plot, and that groups such as al-Qaida do not share Iran’s ideology.

Charges against the two men include conspiring to carry out an attack and murder people in association with a terrorist group. Police — tipped off by an imam worried about one of the suspects’ behavior — said it was the first known attack planned by al-Qaida in Canada.

In a brief court appearance in Montreal, a bearded Esseghaier declined to be represented by a court-appointed lawyer. He made a brief statement in French in which he called the allegations against him unfair.

“The conclusions were made based on facts and words which are only appearances,” he said in a calm voice after asking permission to speak.

Jaser appeared in court earlier Tuesday in Toronto and also did not enter a plea. He and was given a new court date of May 23. The court granted a request by his lawyer, John Norris, for a publication ban on future evidence and testimony.

“I don’t know nothing. Let the police do their job,” his father, Mohammed Jaser, said outside the courtroom.

The case has raised questions about the extent of Shiite-led Iran’s relationship with the predominantly Sunni Arab terrorist network. Relations between the two have been rocky for many years, but some al-Qaida members were allowed to stay in Iran after fleeing Afghanistan following the U.S.-led invasion there. Iran watched them carefully and limited their movements.

Remnants of al-Qaida’s so-called management council are still in Iran, though they are usually kept under house arrest by the regime. There are also a small number of financiers and facilitators who help move money, and sometimes weapons and people, throughout the region.

Last fall, the Obama administration offered up to $12 million in rewards for information leading to the capture of two al-Qaida leaders based in Iran. The State Department described them as key facilitators in sending extremists to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Officials in Canada said Jaser and Esseghaier had “direction and guidance” from al-Qaida members in Iran but no financial assistance, and there was no reason to think the planned attacks were state-sponsored. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, told reporters Tuesday that groups such as al-Qaida have “no compatibility with Iran in both political and ideological fields.”

“We oppose any terrorist and violent action that would jeopardize lives of innocent people,” he said. Mehmanparast called the Canadian claims part of hostile policies against Tehran, and accused Canada of indirectly aiding al-Qaida by joining Western support for Syrian rebels.

The two countries have no diplomatic relations after Canada unilaterally closed its embassy in Tehran in 2012 and expelled Iranian diplomats from Ottawa.

Mayor Bloomberg said Tuesday that Canada has kept New York posted on the investigation. “I can just tell you that you are probably safer in New York City than you are in any other big city,” Bloomberg told reporters.

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