Project Thread
Encyclopedia
Project Thread was a Canadian police operation that resulted in the arrest of 24 immigrants in the Greater Toronto Area
in 2003 amidst incorrect allegations they formed a threat to national security
, and maintained "suspected ties to al-Qaeda
". It was later determined that police had based their operation on "flimsy evidence and stereotypes".
After investigating an unregistered diploma mill
, police had seized a copy of the names of the 400 students who had attended the school and arrested 24 of them, allegedly gathering the Muslim names off the list and finding dubious connections between them to report as a disrupted terrorist plot. Among the accusations, authorities alleged that the "al-Qaeda sleeper cell" had experimented with explosives, that one had taken flight training and others had been seen loitering around the Pickering power plant, and may have been targeting the CN Tower
in Toronto. After criticism that the Muslim community in Canada
had ignored the plight of the falsely-accused men, 18 different men from the Greater Toronto Area were arrested three years later by Canadian authorities and charged with almost identical offences.
Eventually the government backed away from its initial alarms of terrorism, and re-labeled the case a simple charge of "immigration fraud". When they were eventually deported from the country, despite the admission they "faced the possibility of persecution", the men found themselves harassed and threatened by a country that now believed they were terrorists.
The men claimed that their lawyers and friends had been threatened and harassed by Canadian authorities. Critics claimed the arrests had been "trying to placate US security officials".
. Each was also noted as having the name Muhammad in their full name.
All of the men had entered the country on student visas between January 1998 and September 5, 2001, and a number of them had cited Ottawa Business College (OBC) as their chosen institution. The former director of the school which had closed in 2001, Luther Samuel, admitted to selling C$700 registration letters to approximately 400 immigration applicants to improve their ability to apply for residence in Canada, and offering small amateurly-produced courses across six rented classrooms. When the students expressed fears this was just a diploma mill taking thousands of dollars in tuition money from them, the director assured them they were just in a small branch of a larger downtown school. Those who left the school, realising that it was a scam, said they were afraid they would lose their immigration status if they reported the situation to police.
, Pakistan to travel to Nanaimo, British Columbia
, on a student visa in December 1998. He moved to Ontario where he studied at OBC and George Brown College
. He travelled to Mexico City
to apply for permanent residency
, which must be done from outside the country, where his C$40,000 bank account — inheritance from his recently-deceased father — raised eyebrows and led to the beginning of the investigation. In May 2003, police stormed his apartment and arrested him and his roommate Aamir Nadeem and held them for five months until they volunteered to be deported to end their detention. Upon his return to Pakistan, Jahinger was questioned for eight full hours and released.
The remaining students at OBC were under investigation for months by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
and Immigration services.
The first 19 arrests, carried out by an anti-terrorism taskforce, occurred on August 14, 2003, targeting 18 men from Punjab, Pakistan and one from southern India.
The later arrests involved the following;
For five days following the arrests, the men were held incommunicado
and not allowed access to lawyers. It was ten days before Pakistani consular officials were notified about the arrests.
The men were initially asked to give Canadian interrogators the location of Osama bin Laden
, despite the fact they protested that they had never had any contact with militants or been to Afghanistan. One was accused of having given money to Global Relief Foundation
, a charity later blacklisted for supporting Islamic militancy. An apartment "linked to the men" was also alleged to have had a poster of airplane schematics on the wall, as well as a picture of guns, while another apartment had an "unexplained" fire in the kitchen leading to claims that it "could" have been from testing explosives.
Immigration official Stephanie Mackay stated that several of the men had travelled to the United States between May 2001 and January 2002, noting that the September 11th attacks occurred in that timeframe, leading the National Post
to announce a possible link between the immigrants and the terrorist attack.
.
A number of the arrested men appeared "confused" at their bail hearings, and did not have legal representation. Some voluntarily offered to be deported.
Former Canadian Security Intelligence Service
(CSIS) director Reid Morden
was interviewed by the CBC
, and stated that the arrests were legitimate, since the agency needs "only to suspect someone of being a threat before it can act".
argued that the arrests had made Canada less safe, since the embarrassment would leave law enforcement skittish in the future.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
expressed concerns over Canada's decision to deport the students, stating that it was an example of how countries who once held international respect for their dedication to human rights, had let "fear and mistrust" dominate their political landscape in the face of the War on Terror
.
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
in 2003 amidst incorrect allegations they formed a threat to national security
National security
National security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the state through the use of economic, diplomacy, power projection and political power. The concept developed mostly in the United States of America after World War II...
, and maintained "suspected ties to al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
". It was later determined that police had based their operation on "flimsy evidence and stereotypes".
After investigating an unregistered diploma mill
Diploma mill
A diploma mill is an organization that awards academic degrees and diplomas with substandard or no academic study and without recognition by official educational accrediting bodies. The purchaser can then claim to hold an academic degree, and the organization is motivated by making a profit...
, police had seized a copy of the names of the 400 students who had attended the school and arrested 24 of them, allegedly gathering the Muslim names off the list and finding dubious connections between them to report as a disrupted terrorist plot. Among the accusations, authorities alleged that the "al-Qaeda sleeper cell" had experimented with explosives, that one had taken flight training and others had been seen loitering around the Pickering power plant, and may have been targeting the CN Tower
CN Tower
The CN Tower is a communications and observation tower in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Standing tall, it was completed in 1976, becoming the world's tallest free-standing structure and world's tallest tower at the time. It held both records for 34 years until the completion of the Burj...
in Toronto. After criticism that the Muslim community in Canada
Islam in Canada
According to Canada's 2001 census, there were 579,740 Muslims in Canada, just under 2% of the population. In 2006, the Muslim population was estimated to be 0.8 million or about 2.6%. In 2010, the Pew Research Center estimates there were about 0.9 million Muslims in Canada. About 65% were Sunni,...
had ignored the plight of the falsely-accused men, 18 different men from the Greater Toronto Area were arrested three years later by Canadian authorities and charged with almost identical offences.
Eventually the government backed away from its initial alarms of terrorism, and re-labeled the case a simple charge of "immigration fraud". When they were eventually deported from the country, despite the admission they "faced the possibility of persecution", the men found themselves harassed and threatened by a country that now believed they were terrorists.
The men claimed that their lawyers and friends had been threatened and harassed by Canadian authorities. Critics claimed the arrests had been "trying to placate US security officials".
Entry to Canada
The men were held at Maplehurst Correctional ComplexMaplehurst Correctional Complex
Maplehurst Correctional Complex is a correctional facility located in Milton, Ontario for males 18 years of age and older...
. Each was also noted as having the name Muhammad in their full name.
All of the men had entered the country on student visas between January 1998 and September 5, 2001, and a number of them had cited Ottawa Business College (OBC) as their chosen institution. The former director of the school which had closed in 2001, Luther Samuel, admitted to selling C$700 registration letters to approximately 400 immigration applicants to improve their ability to apply for residence in Canada, and offering small amateurly-produced courses across six rented classrooms. When the students expressed fears this was just a diploma mill taking thousands of dollars in tuition money from them, the director assured them they were just in a small branch of a larger downtown school. Those who left the school, realising that it was a scam, said they were afraid they would lose their immigration status if they reported the situation to police.
Investigation
The investigation began when suspicions were raised about Khalid Jahinger, who left LahoreLahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, Pakistan to travel to Nanaimo, British Columbia
Nanaimo, British Columbia
Nanaimo is a city on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It has been dubbed the "Bathtub Racing Capital of the World" and "Harbour City". Nanaimo is also sometimes referred to as the "Hub City" because of its central location on Vancouver Island and due to the layout of the downtown...
, on a student visa in December 1998. He moved to Ontario where he studied at OBC and George Brown College
George Brown College
George Brown College is a public, fully accredited college of applied arts and technology with three full campuses in downtown Toronto, Ontario...
. He travelled to Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
to apply for permanent residency
Permanent residency
Permanent residency refers to a person's visa status: the person is allowed to reside indefinitely within a country of which he or she is not a citizen. A person with such status is known as a permanent resident....
, which must be done from outside the country, where his C$40,000 bank account — inheritance from his recently-deceased father — raised eyebrows and led to the beginning of the investigation. In May 2003, police stormed his apartment and arrested him and his roommate Aamir Nadeem and held them for five months until they volunteered to be deported to end their detention. Upon his return to Pakistan, Jahinger was questioned for eight full hours and released.
The remaining students at OBC were under investigation for months by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
and Immigration services.
Arrests
- Zahoor Hussain, represented by Jackie Esmonde and released on October 30, but was deported the following April
- Muhammad Waheed, 23
- Fahim Kayani, released on C$2,000 bail
- Imran Khan, 31
- Sajjad Ahmad,
- Manzoor Qadar Joyia, 30, lived at Dixon and Kipling, the last man still refused bail up until he became the tenth deported.
- Yousaf Rasheed,
- Muhammad Asif Aziz, came to Canada in May 1999, was later caught sneaking back into Canada from the United States in the back of a truck headed to MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, and initially gave authorities the false name "Asif Yasin Mohammad", arrested at gunpoint. - Kishif Siddique, 29,
- Mohammed Asif,
- Mohammad Akhtar, 30,
- Muhammad Waliu Sidiqui,
- Muhammad Naeem, doctor
- Saif Ullah Khan, 41, brother of Aqeel Ahmed
- Aqeel Ahmed, brother of Saif Ullah Khan
- Jahan Zaib Sawhney, roommate of Awan, released on C$5,000 bail
- Muddasar Awan, refugee claimant and roommate of Sawhney, student at the University of WindsorUniversity of WindsorThe University of Windsor is a public comprehensive and research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has a student population of approximately 15,000 full-time and part-time undergraduate students and over 1000 graduate students...
for three years, was not home during the August 14 police raid on his house, when he had lawyer Tariq Shah phone police to inform them he wanted to turn himself in when he discovered he was wanted, but nobody returned his call. Later accompanied his lawyer to travel to immigration detention himself.
The later arrests involved the following;
- Muhammad Nouman, Karachi native who came to Canada to support his siblings after his parents died, worked as a clerk at a grocery store, arrested August 28
- Anwar-Ur-Rehman Mohammed, 31 year old pharmacistPharmacistPharmacists are allied health professionals who practice in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication use...
, had obtained a pilot license and was accused of plotting to attack the Pickering nuclear plant, released on C$25,000 bail - Shehzad Khurram Toor
For five days following the arrests, the men were held incommunicado
Solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner, and has been cited as an additional...
and not allowed access to lawyers. It was ten days before Pakistani consular officials were notified about the arrests.
The men were initially asked to give Canadian interrogators the location of Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
, despite the fact they protested that they had never had any contact with militants or been to Afghanistan. One was accused of having given money to Global Relief Foundation
Global Relief Foundation
The Global Chevra Foundation , also known as Foundation Secours Mondial or FSM, was an Islamic charity based in Bridgeview, IL until it was raided and shut down on December 14, 2001 and listed among the "Designated Charities and Potential Fundraising Front Organizations for Foreign Terrorist...
, a charity later blacklisted for supporting Islamic militancy. An apartment "linked to the men" was also alleged to have had a poster of airplane schematics on the wall, as well as a picture of guns, while another apartment had an "unexplained" fire in the kitchen leading to claims that it "could" have been from testing explosives.
Immigration official Stephanie Mackay stated that several of the men had travelled to the United States between May 2001 and January 2002, noting that the September 11th attacks occurred in that timeframe, leading the National Post
National Post
The National Post is a Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, a district of Toronto. The paper is owned by Postmedia Network Inc. and is published Mondays through Saturdays...
to announce a possible link between the immigrants and the terrorist attack.
Legal hearings
Aziz was the first of the men to be given a legal hearing, at which he was denied bail. The following day, Mohammad Akhtar was released on C$10,000 bailBail
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...
.
A number of the arrested men appeared "confused" at their bail hearings, and did not have legal representation. Some voluntarily offered to be deported.
Former Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Canadian Security Intelligence Service
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service is Canada's national intelligence service. It is responsible for collecting, analyzing, reporting and disseminating intelligence on threats to Canada's national security, and conducting operations, covert and overt, within Canada and abroad.Its...
(CSIS) director Reid Morden
Reid Morden
Reid Morden was the director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service from 1988-1992.A graduate of Dalhousie University from which he received a law degree and later an Honorary Doctorate of Law, Morden started his career with the Canadian Department of External Affairs. His first posting was...
was interviewed by the CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
, and stated that the arrests were legitimate, since the agency needs "only to suspect someone of being a threat before it can act".
Aftermath
Once in Pakistan, Muhammad Asif Aziz, Muhammad Wahid, Kashif Siddiq, Imran Yunus Khan and Mudassar Awan announced their intentions to sue the government of Canada for falsely accusing them of terrorism and ruining their lives. Canadian politician Diane AblonczyDiane Ablonczy
Diane Ablonczy, PC, MP is a Canadian Member of Parliament, representing the riding of Calgary--Nose Hill in the Canadian House of Commons as a member of the Conservative Party of Canada. She is the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and was appointed on January 4, 2011. She was previously...
argued that the arrests had made Canada less safe, since the embarrassment would leave law enforcement skittish in the future.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan , or HRCP, is an independent, non-profit organization, founded in 1987, which is not associated or affiliated with the government or any political party. It is committed to act with impartiality and objectivity in all matters...
expressed concerns over Canada's decision to deport the students, stating that it was an example of how countries who once held international respect for their dedication to human rights, had let "fear and mistrust" dominate their political landscape in the face of the War on Terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
.