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| Great White North |
| Edmonton man indicted along with Padilla |
| 2005-11-26 |
| A former Leduc cinema owner with suspected ties to al-Qaida has been charged in Miami with conspiracy to murder and providing support to terrorists as part of a North American cell. Itâs alleged Kassem Daher and former Chicago gangster Jose Padilla conspired to âmurder, maim and kidnapâ people in terrorism-related plots overseas. The indictment was unsealed yesterday after being returned last week by a federal grand jury in Miami. Daher, who is believed to be overseas, is well known to Edmontonâs Muslim community. The Lebanese native ran movie theatres in Leduc after moving to Canada in the 1980s and was listed as the vice-president of the Canadian Islamic Association of Leduc and Wetaskiwin at its inception in 1992. But those who knew Daher were reluctant to speak about the charges. Daherâs brother-in-law hung up the phone when contacted by the Sun. Others say they havenât been in contact with the man since 1998, when he reportedly returned to Lebanon to care for his mother. âI havenât seen him for a long, long time,â said Rekieh Mohamad, a former director of the Canadian Islamic Association and Imam of the Wetaskiwin-Leduc Muslim Centre. âAs far as weâre concerned heâs lost.â âWe just forget everything that has happened.â Ali Assaf, a member of the Canadian Islamic Centre, was briefly acquainted with Daher. He said the allegations are hard to believe. âIf itâs true Iâd be very surprised. Iâve heard of lots of allegations that have turned out to be not true. But anything is possible,â he said. Padilla has been held without charges for more than three years on suspicion of plotting a dirty bomb attack on home soil. Three others named in the indictment -- Adham Hassoun, Mohammed Youssef and Kifah Jayyousi -- were previously charged with terrorism-related crimes. All of the defendants are alleged members of a violent terrorist support cell that operated in the United States and Canada and sent money, assets and recruits overseas âfor the purpose of fighting violent jihad.â The indictment states the group allegedly took steps to disguise its fundraising and recruitment activities by speaking in code and using non-governmental organizations as a front for illegitimate activities. But Mohamad said he has not been involved with Daher for years. He told the Sun earlier this year there was no way Daher was running a recruiting and money-raising operation from the Canadian Islamic Association. According to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Daher was known to be in Lebanon in March. He was arrested in that country in 2000 for his alleged role in a gunfight. Itâs believed Daher is a member of Usbat al-Ansar, a Lebanese terrorist group with suspected ties to both Hezbollah and al-Qaida. Daher has also been linked to Egyptian Sheik Omar Abdul Rahman, and was detained by Canadian police in connection with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. He was released on lack of evidence. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |