One of Toronto 18 enters guilty plea in terror trial
It hadn't been in the news for awhile, apparently because of a gag order, but now, the trial of the 18 members of a terrorist cell in Toronto has been held, and one of them whose name is Saad Khalid, has plead guilty (via Hot Air), in a surprise turnaround from his previous claim of innocence:
The Globe's Kirk Makin was the one reporter and media representative scrambled to the almost empty courtroom here when defence lawyers for Mr. Khalid and another accused awaiting trial obtained a temporary but sweeping ban on publication before Mr. Khalid formally entered his plea.Send him to the slammer, please! There are at least nine more awaiting trial, and it's to be hoped that they get convicted as well.
Now 22, he pleaded guilty to a single count of participating in a terrorist organization "with the intention of causing an explosion or explosions that were likely to cause serious bodily harm or death" or damage property.
This charge says that he was acting in support of other conspirators whose names are subject to an earlier ban on publication.
It also links Mr. Khalid to what prosecutors allege was a truck-bomb plot, with the targets allegedly under discussion including the CN Tower, the Toronto Stock Exchange, the offices of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, and a military base.
Another group of the accused are alleged to have participated in a terrorist training camp in 2005, where, prosecutors say, they took weapons training and heard jihadist speeches exhorting them to take action.
Labels: Canada, jihad, terrorism, war on terror
