Canada’s First Convicted Terrorist Sentenced

A judge sentenced a Canadian man to 10 1/2 years in prison for plotting with a group of British Muslims to bomb buildings and natural gas lines in the United Kingdom. Mohammed Momim Khawaja, 29, is the first person to be sentenced under Canadian anti-terrorism laws passed after the Sept. 11 attacks. His case is considered to be the first major test of the laws. The Canadian-born Muslim of Pakistani descent was accused of collaborating with Britons of Pakistani descent in a thwarted 2004 plan to attack a London nightclub, a shopping center and electrical and gas facilities.

Khawaja pleaded not guilty to all charges but was convicted last fall of financing and facilitating terrorism.Wesley Wark, a University of Toronto professor and national security expert, said he had thought Khawaja would get a life sentence like the others. Wark said the ruling is bound to raise questions about Canada being light on terrorism, but he said the case shows the anti-terrorism laws do work. This shows the importance of upholding an evidence-based justice system, and higlights the need for continued international cooperation in containing terror threats.

March 12, 2009

International Herald Tribune - http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/03/12/america/NA-Canada-Bomb-Plot.php

The Globe and Mail - http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090313.KHAWAJA13/TPStory/

The National Post - http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=1383300