RCMP arrest Abdullah Khadr

[Ani_Ibi]

RCMP arrest Abdullah Khadr

RCMP have arrested Abdullah Khadr, the eldest son of an accused al-Qaeda financier, at the request of U.S. authorities. Kadhr, 24, is being held at a detention centre in Toronto after his arrest Saturday night. Relatives told the Toronto Star he was taken into custody after agreeing to meet an RCMP officer at a McDonald’s restaurant near his apartment. He’s being held on a U.S. warrant, wanted for allegedly planning to kill American soldiers abroad.

His Edmonton-based lawyer, Dennis Edney, says Khadr faces two charges: possession and use of a destructive device to further a crime of violence and conspiracy to murder a U.S. national outside of the U.S… His father, Ahmed Said Khadr, who died in a 2003 gunfight with Pakistani troops, was accused of raising money for al-Qaeda. His brother, Omar Khadr, is the only Canadian held at the U.S. detention centre in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

INDEPTH: Khadr

FROM NOV. 7, 2005:
Canadian held at Guantanamo charged with murder

 

[Ani_Ibi]

Here are some more details from CTV:

Abdullah Khadr arrested; faces extradition

His mother was also taken into custody after she became upset at the arrest. However, she isn’t facing any charges… According to a Saturday globeandmail.com report, Khadr faces extradition to the United States for allegedly planning to kill U.S. soldiers abroad… When Abdullah returned to Canada, he denied having any ties to the al Qaeda Islamist terror organization. However, Khadr also said he feared the possibility that the United States would continue to seek custody of him…

Khadr is the eldest son of Ahmed Said Khadr… [who] was accused of being a fundraiser for al Qaeda…

Abdul Khadr, 15, lives in Scarborough after being paralyzed in the gun battle with Pakistani security forces that left his father dead. Omar Khadr, 19, is being held in the American detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He has been charged with murder for the death of a U.S. medic in Afghanistan during a 2002 gun battle. Abdurahman Khadr, 22, was captured in Afghanistan by the Northern Alliance and says he briefly worked for the CIA as an informant in Guantanamo Bay.

• [Khadr lawyer says passport denial violates rights](http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20051205/khadr_passport_051205?s_name=&no_ads=)

• [Khadr not entitled to passport: Lawyer](http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20051206/khadr_passport_051206?s_name=&no_ads=)

• [Omar Khadr to face U.S. hearing in January](http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20051206/khadr_hearing_051206?s_name=&no_ads=) * [Pentagon won't seek execution of Khadr: report](http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20051109/khadr_deathpenalty_051109?s_name=&no_ads=)

 

[Ani_Ibi]

This Globe and Mail article gives quite extensive background to this story:

Khadr scion arrested

Born to Arab parents who were naturalized Canadian citizens, the six Khadr children grew up mostly in Afghanistan and Pakistan during their 1980s and 1990s. Their father, an ostensible charity worker, was a hard-line Islamist who was friends with Osama bin Laden and hostile to Western values. A decade ago, he was briefly held in custody in Pakistan for involvement in a deadly bombing, but he was ultimately let go.

After the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the Khadr family fled Afghanistan as U.S. forces invaded. One son, Karim, was disabled in an attack that killed his father. Another son, Abdurahman spent more than a year in U.S. custody before being allowed to return to Canada. A third son, Omar, was involved in a battle with American soldiers in Afghanistan. He remains in U.S. custody in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and has recently been charged with murder…

In the early stages of his capture, he said the Pakistanis beat him and threatened to rape him with a stick. He said this amounted to torture, and that Canada and U.S. agents were aware of the mistreatment even as they asked him questions. Mr. Khadr said he was often videotaped while in custody. Whether videotaped or not, its unclear whether any statement Mr. Khadr made in Pakistan could be used against him in any North American court. The RCMP has suggested he was once involved fundraising activities for his father, but has never laid any charges. Mr. Edney said that his client’s mistreatment would render any evidence from Pakistan inadmissible.

Terrorism extraditions from Canada to the United States have been difficult. For example, an Algerian held in Vancouver has spent five years resisting attempts to remove him to the United States, where prosecutors say he is wanted for assisting in a 1999 plot to blow up the Los Angeles Airport. Another Canadian is in a New York jail, after admitting he is an al-Qaeda-trained terrorist who conspired to blow up U.S. targets in Southeast Asia. Mohammed Mansour Jabarah, 22, returned to Canada in 2002, and was never officially extradited. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service says it convinced Mr. Jabarah to go freely to the United States, whereas his family has always insisted he was tricked into going.

 

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Abdullah Khadr makes court appearance in Toronto

“Things were very secretive about the details about the court appearance,” she said. “No courtroom was even designated for him until the very last minute.” Inside the court, Khadr’s legal team asked for a publication ban on the court proceedings, but the request was denied. They were given until Wednesday to prepare for the bail hearing.

Edney, who is based in Edmonton, said he’s baffled by the charges against his client and is questioning why the United States didn’t charge Khadr when he was detained in Islamabad. “One would have thought that, if Mr. Abdullah Khadr was the bad person they suggest he is, he would have been dealt with in Pakistan,” he told CBC News. “The Americans would have brought him over to the United States and indicted him. That didn’t happen.”

 

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Khadr to reappear at bail hearing Wednesday

The U.S. wants him extradited for allegedly planning to kill American soldiers abroad. The U.S. Justice Department alleges that Khadr had secured $20,000 US worth of rocket-propelled grenades, ammunition for AK-47s, mortar rounds and Russian machine guns for al Qaeda forces fighting in Afghanistan back in 2003. American authorities claim that he confessed to the buy while being held in a Pakistani jail. The court documents also state that Khadr admitted to U.S. authorities that he was involved in a plot to assassinate the Prime Minister of Pakistan…

“It seems like we’re still in a war zone because we’re not being able to live peacefully. Someone is always in, out, jailed”… Abdurahman Khadr told reporters Monday… The documents also allege that the whole Khadr family stayed with al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden at his compound in Pakistan in 1997 and 1998. Abdurahman said that his family’s ties to al Qaeda were over. “We’re back and it’s done. Whatever was is in the past and that’s over,” he said…

What irks me is that Khadr’s mother assaulted RCMP officers during the arrest and that no charges have been laid. If that had been me, I have no doubt I would be languishing in a cold cell right now.

What also irks me is that Abdurahman is saying that yes his family did all those nasty things but it’s in the past and therefore we shouldn’t be harrassing his family. What happened to you do the crime, you do the time? Oh, yes, I forgot! This is Canada.

 

[Ani_Ibi]

Ah! This article has a lot of background:

Boston judge issued warrant for Abdullah Khadr

First arrested by the Pakistanis in October 2004, Khadr was visited in prison by a team of Mounties in April 2005. Following three days of interviews, ``we did not believe that we had reasonable and probable grounds to arrest Khadr or to charge him with any offence in the Criminal Code,’’ RCMP Corporal Richard Jenkins wrote in an affidavit unsealed Monday.

Three months later, while still in Pakistani custody, Khadr allegedly admitted to FBI agents that he was an al-Qaida gunrunner who supplied thousands of dollars worth of high-powered weapons and ammunition to Osama bin Laden’s fighters in Afghanistan. Court records show that despite the FBI’s best efforts, Pakistan refused to transfer Khadr into U.S. custody. Nevertheless, on Nov. 23, a judge in Boston issued a warrant for his arrest.

It remains unclear whether officials in Canada and the U.S. brokered some type of arrangement, but a week after the arrest warrant was issued, Pakistan released Khadr to Canadian officials, who immediately accompanied him back to Toronto. On Dec. 4, Khadr agreed to be questioned again by FBI agents, who videotaped the 90-minute interview in the presence of RCMP Sgt. Konrad Shourie. Again, Khadr admitted to procuring weapons and explosive material for al-Qaida fighters in Afghanistan.

As he spoke, Khadr still had no idea that American authorities had already issued a warrant for his arrest. On Dec. 16, U.S. prosecutors went one step further, asking a Canadian court to issue a provisional warrant, compelling the RCMP to arrest Khadr on America’s behalf. He remains in a Toronto jail. Dennis Edney, Khadr’s lawyer, said it appears obvious that when the Mounties escorted Khadr back to Canada, they knew the U.S. planned to seek his extradition.

 

[Ani_Ibi]

Sheesh, I know the media has the results of the bail hearing, but I can’t find it on the web yet. This is the only the thing I can find:

Abdullah Khadr back in court Thursday for bail hearing

Abdullah Khadr appeared briefly in court Wednesday wearing an orange prison jumpsuit with his mother, grandmother and younger brother quietly looking on. When Justice Anne Molloy entered the courtroom, the mother refused to stand.

That mother!

Here’s a thread gilliam posted last June:

Canada: Mounties uncover ‘Al Qaeda’ cache

 

[Ani_Ibi]

Emotional testimony from Khadr’s grandmother

66-year-old Fatima Elsamnah appeared unsettled from the moment she took the stand at her grandson’s bail hearing, The Canadian Press reports. Elsamnah said she would risk her $300,000 house and pledge to be a surety if Khadr is released on bail while an extradition hearing proceeds… Elsamnah also changed her story twice while testifying.

Initially she claimed to have heard the allegations against Khadr for the first time in court. But under questioning from Crown lawyer Robin Parker, she recalled a newspaper article from two days earlier. Her story changed again when she told Patrick she was questioned by a reporter about the allegations a day before the newspaper article was published…

Elsamnah claimed the sadness and turmoil surrounding her family was affecting her memory. The American government plans to charge Khadr with: possession of a destructive device, conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals outside the country, conspiracy to use a destructive device against U.S. nationals and U.S. property outside the country.

If convicted in the U.S., he faces a maximum life sentence… The U.S. government has 60 days to make their request and provide supporting documentation. After that, a Canadian international assistance group will have another 60 days to consider the case before the extradition process begins.

 

[WanderAimlessly]

Here is an article on WorldNetDaily on the issue:

**Canada debates extraditing suspected al-Qaida terrorist
**U.S. diplomats say any delay in Khadr case would be seen as hostile move by Ottawa
Posted: December 23, 2005
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

The arrest of al-Qaida affiliate Abdullah Khadr upon his return from Pakistan has prompted hectic activity by Muslim extremist supporters in Canada in an attempt to block his extradition to the U.S.

Khadr was questioned by the Pakistani intelligence following his arrest there in 2004 after he was spotted driving around Islamabad. Soon after his return to Canada the 24-year-old was arrested in his family home in Toronto.

Full Story

PF

 

[Ani_Ibi]

Thanks for this Wander.

One thing I don’t understand: Has Omar been released from Gitmo or not?

Look, this family has been worrying large numbers of us for some time. When the paralyzed brother was returned, he was returned to free health care, safety, and any number of things. Yet the mother was outright rude to Canadians. Rude and ungrateful.

It is this sense of entitlement which irks us. The brother says all that Al Queda stuff is in the past and that Canada should not be bothering them now, asking them questions, dragging them to court. What? That’s pure nuttiness. You do the crime, you do the time. Period.

I am going to tell you where this could go awry. Some Canadians – the most vocal – have a vested interest in anti-Americanism. I suggest that you guys ramp up the pressure for justice. We are in an election and the candidates are going to have to take a stand. Here is the approach that the liberal-left will be using in this case:

Why Canada should deal with Abdullah Khadr

You will note that Walkom says:

Serious countries take care of their own problems. Serious countries protect their citizenry. If Khadr has committed a crime, we should charge him here. If he hasn’t, we should protect him.

This is so deeply a false dilemma. Khadr may have committed a crime under Canadian law in which case we should charge him as we have charged the Ottawa man. Khadr may have committed a crime under US in which case Canada should extradite him so that he can be charged in Boston. But to say that we should protect him in the event that he has not committed a crime under Canadian law begs a very big question.

What is going to complicate this is that the Khadrs are all Canadian citizens. It should not complicate anything, but welcome to the Canadian liberal-left. The Star is a much disliked newspaper at my house. Nevertheless here is another editorial that gives quite a bit of background:

DiManno: `Al Qaeda family’ in court

I don’t know if the publication ban is beneficial or not. A publication ban would prevent the Khadr family from playing the liberal-left Canadian media the worst of which is the CBC. But the publication ban would prevent the rest of us from knowing what is going on.

Khadr loses bid to ban coverage

The red flags are going up for me. I will write my candidates about this case after Christmas. Merry Christmas, Wander.

 

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This just in on CBC: Abdullah Khadr has been denied bail.

 

[Ani_Ibi]

Here’s the story:

Abdullah Khadr denied bail in Toronto

In her ruling on Friday, Ontario Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy said he is a flight risk and that al-Qaeda could assist him in escaping the jurisdiction…

Court documents say he is wanted in Massachusetts on charges of possession of a destructive device to further a crime of violence and conspiracy to murder Americans outside the United States.
He is accused of purchasing about $20,000 US worth of mortar rounds, landmine materials, grenades and ammunition for AK-47 assault rifles for al-Qaeda militants in eastern Afghanistan.

 

[Ani_Ibi]

More details of the bail hearing from CTV:
Judge says Abdullah Khadr could flee bail

Ontario Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy said Khadr could flee from Canada with the help of al Qaeda. “That organization could well assist him in escaping this jurisdiction,” Molloy said. “This is not a person I would trust to abide by any restriction I would impose upon his release.”

Khadr will remain in Canadian custody until his extradition hearing, according to Crown prosecutor Robin Parker. “This is an extraordinary case,” Parker said to The Canadian Press. “The allegations are very serious.” Another brief court hearing for Khadr will happen on Jan. 10, 2006.

Meanwhile, Khadr’s lawyers said they were satisfied their client received a fair hearing, despite being denied bail. The U.S. government has 60 days to make their extradition request and provide supporting documentation.

After that, a Canadian international assistance group will have another 60 days to consider the case before the extradition process begins.