Ahmad Mustafa Ghany
Encyclopedia
Born on September 27, 1984 in Mississauga, Ontario
, Ahmad Mustafa Ghany is a 2004 graduate of McMaster University
's health sciences program, and was one of 17 people initially arrested in the 2006 Toronto terrorism arrests.
Two years later, he was among the suspects in the alleged terrorism case who were released and had all charges dropped.
in 1955. His family moved briefly to Saudi Arabia
a year after Ghany's birth and the death of his father's son from a previous marriage, while his parents taught at King Saud University
. They returned to Canada.
car along the Gardiner Expressway
in Toronto, when police vehicles surrounded him and forced the car to the side of the road, where they arrested, handcuffed and searched Ghany. .
Friends and family expressed disbelief at Ghany's arrest, stating that he was "the most quiet guy ever", and "kind of a nerd". Some alleged that it was simply because his wife's brother-in-law was Zakaria Amara
, an alleged ringleader seized during the arrests. Similarly, one of the young offenders arrested in the case also attended McMaster's health program and was cited as a friend of Ghany.
, Ghany was held at the Maplehurst Correctional Complex
. He was charged under the Canadian Anti-Terrorism Act
with participating in a terrorist group, and training for terrorist purposes. The charges stemmed from the fact he attended a winter camp near Washago that prosecutors have alleged was planned as an opportunity to hone their terrorist skills. Ghany was only at the camp for three days, helping to set up the site, playing paintball
and leaving early.
Six weeks after the arrests, Ghany became the second suspect to be granted bail
as he was released by Justice Hilda Weiss on a $140,000 pledge on July 20 on the condition that he could not leave his parents' house unaccompanied unless going to school, work or to see his lawyer. He had to report to police weekly, and could not communicate with the other suspects in the case.
The resulting media frenzy saw references to a Quran at his trial causing him to smile, and his wife's online comments as Al-Mujahidah on a forum set up by her sister analysed.
On April 15, 2008, nearly two years after the arrests, all charges were dropped against Ghany, Qayyum Abdul Jamal
, Ibrahim Aboud
and Yasim Mohamed.
Mississauga, Ontario
Mississauga is a city in Southern Ontario located in the Regional Municipality of Peel, and in the western part of the Greater Toronto Area. With an estimated population of 734,000, it is Canada's sixth-most populous municipality, and has almost doubled in population in each of the last two decades...
, Ahmad Mustafa Ghany is a 2004 graduate of McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
's health sciences program, and was one of 17 people initially arrested in the 2006 Toronto terrorism arrests.
Two years later, he was among the suspects in the alleged terrorism case who were released and had all charges dropped.
Life
Ghany is the son of urologist Ghany, who moved to Canada from Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
in 1955. His family moved briefly to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
a year after Ghany's birth and the death of his father's son from a previous marriage, while his parents taught at King Saud University
King Saud University
King Saud University is a public university located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was founded in 1957 by King Saud bin Abdul Aziz as Riyadh University, as the first university in the kingdom not dedicated to religious subjects. The university was created to meet the shortage of skilled workers in...
. They returned to Canada.
Arrest
On June 2, 2006, the 21-year old Ghany was driving his LexusLexus
is the luxury vehicle division of Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corporation. First introduced in 1989 in the United States, Lexus is now sold globally and has become Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. The Lexus marque is marketed in over 70 countries and territories worldwide, and has...
car along the Gardiner Expressway
Gardiner Expressway
The Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway, colloquially referred to as "the Gardiner", is a municipal expressway in the Canadian province of Ontario, connecting downtown Toronto with its western suburbs...
in Toronto, when police vehicles surrounded him and forced the car to the side of the road, where they arrested, handcuffed and searched Ghany. .
Friends and family expressed disbelief at Ghany's arrest, stating that he was "the most quiet guy ever", and "kind of a nerd". Some alleged that it was simply because his wife's brother-in-law was Zakaria Amara
Zakaria Amara
Zakaria Amara is one of 17 people detained on June 2 and June 3, 2006, in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada in the 2006 Toronto terrorism arrests. He was convicted for planning to have launched terrorist attacks against targets in southern Ontario and was believed to be one of the ringleaders.The text...
, an alleged ringleader seized during the arrests. Similarly, one of the young offenders arrested in the case also attended McMaster's health program and was cited as a friend of Ghany.
Charges, bail and release
Represented by Rocco GalatiRocco Galati
Rocco Galati is a Canadian lawyer who specializes in terrorism cases.In 2001, he defended Delmart Vreeland at trial.He was Abdurahman Khadr's first lawyer...
, Ghany was held at the Maplehurst Correctional Complex
Maplehurst Correctional Complex
Maplehurst Correctional Complex is a correctional facility located in Milton, Ontario for males 18 years of age and older...
. He was charged under the Canadian Anti-Terrorism Act
Canadian Anti-Terrorism Act
The Canadian Anti-Terrorism Act was passed by the Liberal government of Canada in response to the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. It received Royal Assent on December 18, 2001, as Bill C-36. The "omnibus" bill extends the powers of government and institutions within the Canadian...
with participating in a terrorist group, and training for terrorist purposes. The charges stemmed from the fact he attended a winter camp near Washago that prosecutors have alleged was planned as an opportunity to hone their terrorist skills. Ghany was only at the camp for three days, helping to set up the site, playing paintball
Paintball
Paintball is a sport in which players compete, in teams or individually, to eliminate opponents by tagging them with capsules containing water soluble dye and gelatin shell outside propelled from a device called a paintball marker . Paintballs have a non-toxic, biodegradable, water soluble...
and leaving early.
Six weeks after the arrests, Ghany became the second suspect to be granted bail
Bail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
as he was released by Justice Hilda Weiss on a $140,000 pledge on July 20 on the condition that he could not leave his parents' house unaccompanied unless going to school, work or to see his lawyer. He had to report to police weekly, and could not communicate with the other suspects in the case.
The resulting media frenzy saw references to a Quran at his trial causing him to smile, and his wife's online comments as Al-Mujahidah on a forum set up by her sister analysed.
On April 15, 2008, nearly two years after the arrests, all charges were dropped against Ghany, Qayyum Abdul Jamal
Qayyum Abdul Jamal
A Canadian janitor and schoolbus-driver, Abdul Qayyum Jamal was initially labeled the "ringleader" of an alleged terrorist plot in Toronto in June 2006 after a Canadian Member of Parliament reported his virulent criticism of Canadian troops in Afghanistan to police...
, Ibrahim Aboud
Ibrahim Aboud
Ibrahim Alkhalel Mohammed Aboud was the 18th person arrested in the 2006 Toronto terrorism case, on August 3, two months after the other 17 suspects....
and Yasim Mohamed.