Parliamentary hearings will soon investigate how a pair charged in an alleged terror plot were admitted to Canada.
MPs on the House of Commons’ public safety committee voted unanimously Tuesday to commence a study into the foiled plot to allegedly carry out an attack in Toronto, as well as the two suspects arrested.
Hearings will focus in particular on how Ahmed Eldidi, 62, was admitted to Canada and obtained citizenship given that, according to Canadian authorities, he had allegedly committed aggravated assault in a foreign country in 2015.
The RCMP announced on July 31 that Mr. Eldidi and his son, Mostafa Eldidi, 26, were arrested in Richmond Hill, Ont., and face nine terrorism charges including conspiracy to commit murder on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
The Scarborough home where alleged terror suspects Ahmed Eldidi, 62, and his son Mostafa Eldid, 26, live, on July 31.Yader Guzman/The Globe and Mail
Police said the older man also faces a Canadian charge alleging that, in 2015, he committed an aggravated assault in a foreign country “for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with” the Islamic State.
The Mounties said the two men were “in the advanced stages of planning a serious, violent attack in Toronto.”
The Islamic State was designated as a terrorist group in Canada in 2012, at a time when the group’s members had begun carving a self-styled caliphate out of Syria and Iraq while its leaders urged followers to launch attacks on people in the West.
Global News reported earlier this month, citing anonymous sources, that the older Mr. Eldidi immigrated to Canada after allegedly being filmed taking part in IS violence overseas. Sources told Global the charge dating from 2015 stems from a video released by IS that year that shows a man dismembering a prisoner with a sword.
A motion passed at the Commons public safety committee Tuesday said witnesses to be called should include Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Immigration Minister Marc Miller as well as former public safety minister Ralph Goodale, who was in the post between 2015 and 2019.
Other witnesses would include RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme, interim CSIS director Vanessa Lloyd, Canada Border Services Agency President Erin O’Gorman as well as Shawn Tupper, deputy minister at Public Safety, and others.
The motion calls for six meetings, including two the week of Aug. 26, to “discuss the foiled terrorist plot in Toronto, the security screening process in place to review permanent residence and citizenship application to ensure that individuals who have engaged in acts of terror are unable to enter Canada, and how Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi was admitted to Canada and obtained citizenship.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered few details in remarks to journalists on Monday.
“We are proceeding in a proper and thorough investigation on exactly how this happened. We will share with Canadians at the appropriate moment,” Mr. Trudeau said.
The Immigration Minister’s office declined Tuesday to say when the Eldidi men entered Canada or under what program.
“Due to privacy legislation, we cannot comment on any specific cases,” said Aissa Diop, director of communications for Mr. Miller.
“As we’re working on an internal review of the situation, it would not be appropriate to comment further.”
The Conservative opposition urged the government to divulge all details of how the elder Mr. Eldidi entered Canada. “It’s vital for Canadians to know the timelines and circumstances of Eldidi’s immigration to Canada and how the Trudeau government allowed him to become a citizen, even though the Liberals have consistently claimed that Canada had robust vetting and screening practices,” the Conservatives said in a news release after the committee vote.
During committee hearings Tuesday, Liberal MP Jennifer O’Connell suggested the Stephen Harper government, which left office eight years and nine months ago, was responsible for border security failures because of spending cuts it made while in power.
She told the committee the Liberals look forward to hearings so “Conservatives can truly appreciate that their cuts have consequences to our national security and the safety of our community.”