A judge refused to grant bail Tuesday to a Moroccan man labeled a national security threat for allegedly having ties to the al-Qaida terrorist network. Adil Charkaoui, 30, was arrested nearly two months ago. He denies any links to Osama bin Laden and says Canada is harassing him to show the United States that it is tough on terrorism. Justice Simon Noel ruled the government provided sufficient reasons to keep Charkaoui in custody until his next hearing on whether he will be deported, scheduled for September. The government alleged Charkaoui, a Canadian resident since 1995, "has the profile of a sleeper agent that can be activated at any time." Court documents show he is suspected of having known several members of a Montreal al-Qaida cell, including Ahmed Ressam, who was convicted of planning to bomb Los Angeles International Airport during millennium celebrations. The government also says Charkaoui visited Pakistan in 1998, at the same time that Ressam was training in an al-Qaida camp in nearby Afghanistan.
I’m beginning to think anyone who has visited Pakistan should be assumed guilty till proven innocent. |