- 主题发起人 sunnybath
- 发布时间 2006-09-11
Terrorists 'exploiting' Canada: CSIS report
Last Updated Sat Jan 15 20:32:10 2000
NEW YORK - A report published online by ABCNEWS.com says more than 50 terrorist groups are believed to be operating in Canada and that international terrorist groups are exploiting Canada's immigration system.
The report is based on a confidential document, written by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, entitled "Exploitation of Canada's Immigration System: An Overview of Security Intelligence Concerns." It was obtained under a freedom of information request.
The CSIS document, written in July 1999, says the problem has arisen because "Canada's immigration system, because it is both open and accessible, is vulnerable to exploitation and abuse."
CSIS believes more than 50 terrorist organizations are operating in Canada - among them the Algerian Armed Islamic Group, Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Sikh separatists, Hezbollah and Irish extremist groups.
Ahmed Ressam, who was arrested in Port Angeles, Wash., in December, is suspected of having connections with the Algerian Armed Islamic Group. The car he was driving was found to contain bomb-making supplies.
A spokesman for CSIS says, with the exception of the United States, "there are more international terrorist groups here than any other country in the world."
The report says most of the terrorist groups use Canada as a safe haven, to raise funds, and to plan future terrorist activities.
Last Updated Sat Jan 15 20:32:10 2000
NEW YORK - A report published online by ABCNEWS.com says more than 50 terrorist groups are believed to be operating in Canada and that international terrorist groups are exploiting Canada's immigration system.
The report is based on a confidential document, written by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, entitled "Exploitation of Canada's Immigration System: An Overview of Security Intelligence Concerns." It was obtained under a freedom of information request.
The CSIS document, written in July 1999, says the problem has arisen because "Canada's immigration system, because it is both open and accessible, is vulnerable to exploitation and abuse."
CSIS believes more than 50 terrorist organizations are operating in Canada - among them the Algerian Armed Islamic Group, Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Sikh separatists, Hezbollah and Irish extremist groups.
Ahmed Ressam, who was arrested in Port Angeles, Wash., in December, is suspected of having connections with the Algerian Armed Islamic Group. The car he was driving was found to contain bomb-making supplies.
A spokesman for CSIS says, with the exception of the United States, "there are more international terrorist groups here than any other country in the world."
The report says most of the terrorist groups use Canada as a safe haven, to raise funds, and to plan future terrorist activities.
Would-Be Terrorists See Canada as Perfect Destination, Ex-FBI Agent Says
Updated: July 12th, 2005 08:48 PM PDT
E-mail Story Print Story Most Read Most Emailed
TARA BRAUTIGAM
Canadian Press
TORONTO (CP) -- The perception of Canada as an immigrant-friendly place with myriad ethnic backgrounds makes it a perfect destination for would-be terrorists, a former FBI agent said Tuesday at an international conference on disaster management.
Ty Fairman, who has interviewed several of the world's most notorious terrorists, said Muslim radicals looking to travel to the western world look at settling in Ontario because of the high concentration of Muslims already living there.
Sixty-one per cent of the country's estimated 750,000 Muslims reside in the province, Fairman said, and five per cent of those live in Toronto _ the most of any city in North America.
Fairman, who helped conduct raids of al-Qaida safe houses in Afghanistan and Pakistan, said training manuals compiled by the infamous terrorist network outline how aspiring insurgents can best infiltrate western nations.
''One of their main missions, as far as expansion, is to travel to places undetected, unnoticed, go to places with lenient immigration laws,'' Fairman told more than 500 delegates in Tuesday's keynote speech.
''Hmm, ring a bell? Canada.''
The federal government swiftly rejected Tuesday any notion that the country's immigration policies are a draw for international terrorists.
''Our immigration laws take into account the same issues and the same commitment to openness and immigration as the U.S. and the U.K.,'' said Alex Swann, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan.
''There's no need to single Canada out in that regard.''
Since 2001, Canada has hired 45 immigration officials stationed overseas to detect people applying to enter Canada with fraudulent documents, Swann added.
Jeffrey Reitz, a professor of ethnic and immigration studies at the University of Toronto, said the global perception of Canada as a place with lax immigration laws comes from the case of Montreal resident Ahmed Ressam, who was stopped at the border in 1999 with a trunkload of explosives to be used to blow up Los Angeles International Airport.
''The interesting thing about it, of course, is that it is a success case in the sense that this person was apprehended, and he was apprehended before 9/11,'' Reitz said.
''We don't have major terrorist or even minor terrorist incidents arising as a consequence of our (immigration) policy.''
Ressam, who was convicted in 2001, will be sentenced July 28.
Fairman said Canada's involvement in Afghanistan also makes it a terrorist target.
''You're in Afghanistan, and your military is doing a very good job,'' he said. ''They are a great asset to the United States, that's why you're still on the list.''
Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden declared Canada a ''legitimate target'' for attacks in March 2004. Two months later, an internal RCMP risk assessment report noted that Canada was the only country left on his list that had yet to be attacked.
The conference, which got underway Sunday, runs through Wednesday and boasts more than 1,500 delegates from more than 40 countries.
Updated: July 12th, 2005 08:48 PM PDT
E-mail Story Print Story Most Read Most Emailed
TARA BRAUTIGAM
Canadian Press
TORONTO (CP) -- The perception of Canada as an immigrant-friendly place with myriad ethnic backgrounds makes it a perfect destination for would-be terrorists, a former FBI agent said Tuesday at an international conference on disaster management.
Ty Fairman, who has interviewed several of the world's most notorious terrorists, said Muslim radicals looking to travel to the western world look at settling in Ontario because of the high concentration of Muslims already living there.
Sixty-one per cent of the country's estimated 750,000 Muslims reside in the province, Fairman said, and five per cent of those live in Toronto _ the most of any city in North America.
Fairman, who helped conduct raids of al-Qaida safe houses in Afghanistan and Pakistan, said training manuals compiled by the infamous terrorist network outline how aspiring insurgents can best infiltrate western nations.
''One of their main missions, as far as expansion, is to travel to places undetected, unnoticed, go to places with lenient immigration laws,'' Fairman told more than 500 delegates in Tuesday's keynote speech.
''Hmm, ring a bell? Canada.''
The federal government swiftly rejected Tuesday any notion that the country's immigration policies are a draw for international terrorists.
''Our immigration laws take into account the same issues and the same commitment to openness and immigration as the U.S. and the U.K.,'' said Alex Swann, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan.
''There's no need to single Canada out in that regard.''
Since 2001, Canada has hired 45 immigration officials stationed overseas to detect people applying to enter Canada with fraudulent documents, Swann added.
Jeffrey Reitz, a professor of ethnic and immigration studies at the University of Toronto, said the global perception of Canada as a place with lax immigration laws comes from the case of Montreal resident Ahmed Ressam, who was stopped at the border in 1999 with a trunkload of explosives to be used to blow up Los Angeles International Airport.
''The interesting thing about it, of course, is that it is a success case in the sense that this person was apprehended, and he was apprehended before 9/11,'' Reitz said.
''We don't have major terrorist or even minor terrorist incidents arising as a consequence of our (immigration) policy.''
Ressam, who was convicted in 2001, will be sentenced July 28.
Fairman said Canada's involvement in Afghanistan also makes it a terrorist target.
''You're in Afghanistan, and your military is doing a very good job,'' he said. ''They are a great asset to the United States, that's why you're still on the list.''
Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden declared Canada a ''legitimate target'' for attacks in March 2004. Two months later, an internal RCMP risk assessment report noted that Canada was the only country left on his list that had yet to be attacked.
The conference, which got underway Sunday, runs through Wednesday and boasts more than 1,500 delegates from more than 40 countries.
Ahmed Ressam's case raised deep concerns in Canada and the United States. This 32-year-old Algerian-born terrorist was able to enter Canada in 1994 with a false passport, claim refugee status, commit numerous crimes, draw welfare benefits, and easily evade deportation by creating a false identity as a Canadian citizen with a Canadian passport.
Although Canada's parliament is currently debating [as of October 2001] new anti-terrorism measures that would give law enforcement broader powers to detain and deport those trying to enter the country illegally, questions remain about how well Canada can protect its borders.
In the following interview excerpts from FRONTLINE's report on the Ressam case, experts evaluate Canada's proposed new immigration and refugee laws, explain how the current laws work, and summarize how things might have been different if Ressam had tried to get into the U.S. as an asylum seeker.
former member of the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board
... A lot of people are saying that Canada has become a safe haven for terrorists. Do you believe that?
Yes...I think many countries look upon Canada as being a welcoming country for terrorists, war criminals and so on. I don't think it is a deliberate policy on the part of Canada. I think it is the result of a series of shortcomings in the system that enables people to slip across the border through any port of entry, establish a case -- particularly those who wish to make a refugee claim -- and then more or less disappear forever, in some cases, or in some cases until the hearing, or until they are turned down, or until they are accepted. And while they are doing this, they are paid welfare, they're paid housing, they're looked after legally, medically. ...
Let's go through the details in the case of Ahmed Ressam. He comes in through Mirabel Airport. The immigration officer notices that the picture doesn't cover the passport, and says this is clearly a fake passport. You know, when somebody tries to get into Canada with a fake passport, people would normally think that shouldn't be allowed.
I think the practice there, and in most cases where it's obvious falsification, the person would be kept to one side and questioned. Depending on the story that was told, the case might be pursued further or not. If the person concerned claimed refugee status, at that point it would be almost certain that he or she would be released into the public at large; told to submit a claim for refugee status within 30 days; and then be available for a refugee hearing, which might not take place for nine or ten months or even a year and a half because of the backlog.
So basically, if you are caught with a false document, you can simply say, "I claim refugee status because I was persecuted," or "I am in danger of persecution and the only way I can get out of my country is with a false passport." The passport, of course, might not even be of the country of origin or somewhere else, as was the case here. So there is really ... no constraint against a person using false documents. And of the 30,000 refugee claimants arriving in Canada every year, 60 percent of them arriving have either no documents or claim to have no documents or have false documents, and they all stay and they all proceed with their claim. So that it is not a barrier.
Bill Bauer is a former member of the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board. He believes the Canadian system is exploited by asylum claimants, cites troubling statistics on Canada's asylum processing and says the proposed new asylum and immigration policies are inadequate. Bauer is currently writing a book critical of the immigration process. (Interviewed May 2001)
David Harris is former chief of strategic planning for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). He discusses how Canada's liberal refugee policies make it easy for terrorists to operate there and explains what needs to change, including Canadian attitudes on immigration and diversity. (Interviewed May 2001)
Elinor Caplan is Canada's Minister of Immigration. She talks about how the new immigration legislation will improve Canada's system, but defends many aspects of the old policies. (Interviewed May 2001)
U.S. Congressman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) was the chairman of the House Immigration Subcommittee from 1994 to 2000. In 1996, Smith sponsored extensive immigration reform legislation which increased the powers of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service to detain and deport immigrants. He explains how U.S. immigration and refugee procedures and policies are tougher than Canada's. (Interviewed June 2001)
For people who claim a refugee status - a guy like this - you would think we would have a speedy determination on whether he's a real refugee or not. How long does it take?
The average length of time ... the last I checked,was between nine months and a year. Some cases obviously could be run through more quickly. Others might take [longer]. The main reason it is a cumbersome procedure is because the law and jurisprudence demand certain procedures, certain guarantees. There is an outstanding backlog of 30,000 cases right now, and the whole system can only deal with about ... last year it was about 24,000 cases. ...
So obviously, you are always one year behind, on average, and in more difficult cases where the delaying tactics are used -- which are often the case -- it may run on for two, three years. So it's quite possible for someone to stay in Canada on welfare and with shelter provided for at least three years before a final determination. ...
What does the Ahmed Ressam case tell you about the problems with deportation in Canada?
Very, very few people who are turned down for the refugee claims are actually deported. Some may even leave voluntarily, but we have no way of checking it. We don't control departures. We have no record. Some may actually be deported, but these are usually cases where there is something about the person which presents a threat to Canadian security.
Basically, as I understand it, there are not enough personnel or resources to follow up on rejected refugee claimants and make sure that they leave the country, whether by the formal process of deportation or at their own time. So it's very, very easy for people who go through this whole process for a year or two to simply avoid any consequences at all. ...
When Ahmed Ressam comes in and says, "I was accused of terrorism and arms trafficking," and he says he was innocent ... shouldn't that ring some alarm bells?
The first assumption in what we consider to be a fair system is that you take the word of the claimant. If he says, "I was accused of being involved in arms trafficking," that doesn't carry any weight. What carries weight is his statement that "I was innocent and they were persecuting me. They tortured me," or whatever. The weight of evidence is always his side of it, not what he was accused of....
From the point of view of common sense, does this seem like a good system to you?
It isn't a good system if you look at it from the point of view of detecting criminals and terrorists and war criminals, because obviously, very, very few of these people are going to admit to having done these things. On the other hand, if you give credence to what they have been accused of, in effect, you're denying their refugee claim before you're giving the person a chance to be heard.
Once in Canada, Mr. Ressam is arrested time after time for crimes - petty theft, theft over $5,000 in some cases, stealing computers. Would you not expect this to affect his case?
... I always assumed in my experience that anyone who committed a major crimes after arriving in Canada could not possibly be a genuine refugee -- otherwise, why would they take the risk? Why would they engage in this sort of activity? This is not generally accepted by the courts, though. Serious crimes committed before arriving in Canada can be taken into account when arriving at a judgement about whether a person is a genuine refugee or not. Crimes committed in Canada after making your claim are not considered relevant by the court, unless they are crimes which would involve more than ten years of imprisonment in Canada. In practical terms, that means murder, essentially. ...
... Did Ahmed Ressam kind of play Canada as a sucker?
Oh yes, yes. I think there is no doubt about it. He entered under false pretenses, he lied, he broke the law, he used Canada as a base of operations against a neighboring country with whom we have no quarrel. If he had not inadvertently been captured ... he would have killed untold numbers of innocent civilians in the United States, and Canada would have had blood on its hands. ...
...We didn't catch him -- the Americans did. I think it's time that all the agencies, and certainly the government, took this seriously before something truly tragic happens.
The Minister of Immigration is saying she is dealing with the problems in the refugee system. She is noticing that there may be some shortcomings, but the government of Canada is acting forthrightly to close the back door for false refugee claims, so the front door can be opened wider. What do you think?
I don't see anything in the new legislation which would close the door. It makes a few minor changes in the people that might be arrested without a warrant. But I am not sure how strongly that can be enforced against the tremendous opposition on the part of the immigration groups. On the other hand, it introduces another layer of appeal into the system which, in my mind, would simply add delay to it. The idea is in the legislation that this will not permit review by the federal court. I think this is either disingenuous or nae, because under the charter, they have a right to go to the federal court, and I should think that this legislation would be thrown out very quickly. And it will certainly be challenged very quickly by immigration lawyers.
So taken all in all, what I see in the legislation is no change at all in the existing system. To change the existing system requires more than just jiggling a few lines here and a few lines there. The new act says that anyone trafficking...more than ten persons illegally into Canada is subject to a fine of $1 million instead of $500,000. To my knowledge, no judge who has tried a trafficker -- and very few are ever arrested, let alone tried -- has imposed a fine greater than $5,000. So that you raise it to $500,000 to a million, so what? The $500,000 has never been used, nor has even $10,000. These are differences meant for cosmetic purposes. This is designed for a political purpose, which is to say, "Look how tough we are being." In fact, it's not tough at all. ...
Although Canada's parliament is currently debating [as of October 2001] new anti-terrorism measures that would give law enforcement broader powers to detain and deport those trying to enter the country illegally, questions remain about how well Canada can protect its borders.
In the following interview excerpts from FRONTLINE's report on the Ressam case, experts evaluate Canada's proposed new immigration and refugee laws, explain how the current laws work, and summarize how things might have been different if Ressam had tried to get into the U.S. as an asylum seeker.
former member of the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board
... A lot of people are saying that Canada has become a safe haven for terrorists. Do you believe that?
Yes...I think many countries look upon Canada as being a welcoming country for terrorists, war criminals and so on. I don't think it is a deliberate policy on the part of Canada. I think it is the result of a series of shortcomings in the system that enables people to slip across the border through any port of entry, establish a case -- particularly those who wish to make a refugee claim -- and then more or less disappear forever, in some cases, or in some cases until the hearing, or until they are turned down, or until they are accepted. And while they are doing this, they are paid welfare, they're paid housing, they're looked after legally, medically. ...
Let's go through the details in the case of Ahmed Ressam. He comes in through Mirabel Airport. The immigration officer notices that the picture doesn't cover the passport, and says this is clearly a fake passport. You know, when somebody tries to get into Canada with a fake passport, people would normally think that shouldn't be allowed.
I think the practice there, and in most cases where it's obvious falsification, the person would be kept to one side and questioned. Depending on the story that was told, the case might be pursued further or not. If the person concerned claimed refugee status, at that point it would be almost certain that he or she would be released into the public at large; told to submit a claim for refugee status within 30 days; and then be available for a refugee hearing, which might not take place for nine or ten months or even a year and a half because of the backlog.
So basically, if you are caught with a false document, you can simply say, "I claim refugee status because I was persecuted," or "I am in danger of persecution and the only way I can get out of my country is with a false passport." The passport, of course, might not even be of the country of origin or somewhere else, as was the case here. So there is really ... no constraint against a person using false documents. And of the 30,000 refugee claimants arriving in Canada every year, 60 percent of them arriving have either no documents or claim to have no documents or have false documents, and they all stay and they all proceed with their claim. So that it is not a barrier.
Bill Bauer is a former member of the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board. He believes the Canadian system is exploited by asylum claimants, cites troubling statistics on Canada's asylum processing and says the proposed new asylum and immigration policies are inadequate. Bauer is currently writing a book critical of the immigration process. (Interviewed May 2001)
David Harris is former chief of strategic planning for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). He discusses how Canada's liberal refugee policies make it easy for terrorists to operate there and explains what needs to change, including Canadian attitudes on immigration and diversity. (Interviewed May 2001)
Elinor Caplan is Canada's Minister of Immigration. She talks about how the new immigration legislation will improve Canada's system, but defends many aspects of the old policies. (Interviewed May 2001)
U.S. Congressman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) was the chairman of the House Immigration Subcommittee from 1994 to 2000. In 1996, Smith sponsored extensive immigration reform legislation which increased the powers of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service to detain and deport immigrants. He explains how U.S. immigration and refugee procedures and policies are tougher than Canada's. (Interviewed June 2001)
For people who claim a refugee status - a guy like this - you would think we would have a speedy determination on whether he's a real refugee or not. How long does it take?
The average length of time ... the last I checked,was between nine months and a year. Some cases obviously could be run through more quickly. Others might take [longer]. The main reason it is a cumbersome procedure is because the law and jurisprudence demand certain procedures, certain guarantees. There is an outstanding backlog of 30,000 cases right now, and the whole system can only deal with about ... last year it was about 24,000 cases. ...
So obviously, you are always one year behind, on average, and in more difficult cases where the delaying tactics are used -- which are often the case -- it may run on for two, three years. So it's quite possible for someone to stay in Canada on welfare and with shelter provided for at least three years before a final determination. ...
What does the Ahmed Ressam case tell you about the problems with deportation in Canada?
Very, very few people who are turned down for the refugee claims are actually deported. Some may even leave voluntarily, but we have no way of checking it. We don't control departures. We have no record. Some may actually be deported, but these are usually cases where there is something about the person which presents a threat to Canadian security.
Basically, as I understand it, there are not enough personnel or resources to follow up on rejected refugee claimants and make sure that they leave the country, whether by the formal process of deportation or at their own time. So it's very, very easy for people who go through this whole process for a year or two to simply avoid any consequences at all. ...
When Ahmed Ressam comes in and says, "I was accused of terrorism and arms trafficking," and he says he was innocent ... shouldn't that ring some alarm bells?
The first assumption in what we consider to be a fair system is that you take the word of the claimant. If he says, "I was accused of being involved in arms trafficking," that doesn't carry any weight. What carries weight is his statement that "I was innocent and they were persecuting me. They tortured me," or whatever. The weight of evidence is always his side of it, not what he was accused of....
From the point of view of common sense, does this seem like a good system to you?
It isn't a good system if you look at it from the point of view of detecting criminals and terrorists and war criminals, because obviously, very, very few of these people are going to admit to having done these things. On the other hand, if you give credence to what they have been accused of, in effect, you're denying their refugee claim before you're giving the person a chance to be heard.
Once in Canada, Mr. Ressam is arrested time after time for crimes - petty theft, theft over $5,000 in some cases, stealing computers. Would you not expect this to affect his case?
... I always assumed in my experience that anyone who committed a major crimes after arriving in Canada could not possibly be a genuine refugee -- otherwise, why would they take the risk? Why would they engage in this sort of activity? This is not generally accepted by the courts, though. Serious crimes committed before arriving in Canada can be taken into account when arriving at a judgement about whether a person is a genuine refugee or not. Crimes committed in Canada after making your claim are not considered relevant by the court, unless they are crimes which would involve more than ten years of imprisonment in Canada. In practical terms, that means murder, essentially. ...
... Did Ahmed Ressam kind of play Canada as a sucker?
Oh yes, yes. I think there is no doubt about it. He entered under false pretenses, he lied, he broke the law, he used Canada as a base of operations against a neighboring country with whom we have no quarrel. If he had not inadvertently been captured ... he would have killed untold numbers of innocent civilians in the United States, and Canada would have had blood on its hands. ...
...We didn't catch him -- the Americans did. I think it's time that all the agencies, and certainly the government, took this seriously before something truly tragic happens.
The Minister of Immigration is saying she is dealing with the problems in the refugee system. She is noticing that there may be some shortcomings, but the government of Canada is acting forthrightly to close the back door for false refugee claims, so the front door can be opened wider. What do you think?
I don't see anything in the new legislation which would close the door. It makes a few minor changes in the people that might be arrested without a warrant. But I am not sure how strongly that can be enforced against the tremendous opposition on the part of the immigration groups. On the other hand, it introduces another layer of appeal into the system which, in my mind, would simply add delay to it. The idea is in the legislation that this will not permit review by the federal court. I think this is either disingenuous or nae, because under the charter, they have a right to go to the federal court, and I should think that this legislation would be thrown out very quickly. And it will certainly be challenged very quickly by immigration lawyers.
So taken all in all, what I see in the legislation is no change at all in the existing system. To change the existing system requires more than just jiggling a few lines here and a few lines there. The new act says that anyone trafficking...more than ten persons illegally into Canada is subject to a fine of $1 million instead of $500,000. To my knowledge, no judge who has tried a trafficker -- and very few are ever arrested, let alone tried -- has imposed a fine greater than $5,000. So that you raise it to $500,000 to a million, so what? The $500,000 has never been used, nor has even $10,000. These are differences meant for cosmetic purposes. This is designed for a political purpose, which is to say, "Look how tough we are being." In fact, it's not tough at all. ...
Canadian border open to terrorists: terrorists have exploited Canada's lax immigration laws to plan and execute attacks against the United States. Is the Canadian government taking corrective action? - SPECIAL REPORT: U.S.-Canada Relations - John Manley - Statistical Data Included
Insight on the News, Dec 17, 2001 by Kenneth R. Timmerman
The United States has a problem with terrorists who have found safe haven to the north. In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, the Canadian government is seeking to enact a new antiterror bill that would enhance police powers, define acts of terrorism, crack down on money-laundering and allow preventive detention of individuals suspected of belonging to a terrorist network.
The new legislation is referred to in Canada as Bill C-36. But to terrorism experts it is better known as the Ahmed Ressam Act of 2001, after an Algerian-born disciple of Osama bin Laden who eluded Canadian authorities for more than five years and was caught, only by chance, just two weeks before a planned attack intended to kill hundreds of Americans.
Ressam, trained in bin Laden's camps in Afghanistan, has become known in the United States as the "Millennium Bomber." But to government officials in Ottawa he is worse than just a terrorist: He has become the face of Canada's failure to confront terrorism.
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"The issues surrounding [Ressam's] ability to operate in Canada have been addressed," Canadian Foreign Minister John Manley boasted to New York City's Foreign Policy Association on Nov. 5. "Do we believe that terrorist sympathizers have operated on Canadian soil? Unfortunately, yes, this is probably the ugly truth -- as it is in the United States, Germany, Britain and many other countries around the globe."
The French judge who pursued Ressam across the Atlantic to his safe haven in Canada warned that the bin Laden-trained terrorist was extremely dangerous and bent on mayhem. But the Canadian government didn't seem to care. It refused to act on a Rogatory Letter -- a formal, 40-page arrest warrant sent by the French judge on April 7, 1999 -- that spelled out his violent crimes in minute detail.
Sensing that Ressam was preparing to act, the French judge and the head of the French counterespionage service paid a high-profile visit to Ottawa in October 1999. Yet Canadian authorities refused to arrest the suspect. "The Canadians have been less than forthcoming," French terrorism judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere told INSIGHT laconically in a recent interview in Paris.
Canada has a problem and the government in Ottawa knows it. Lax immigration and political-asylum laws have made America's neighbor to the north a safe haven of choice for international terrorists of bin Laden's al-Qaeda network. But while the government now seeks to close some of the legal loopholes, it may be too late.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) claimed in a report released in May 2000 that it was watching some 50 terrorist organizations and 350 "individual targets," but that liberal policies governing foreigners claiming political asylum prevent them from cracking down. In that report, CSIS Director Ward Elcock noted: "With perhaps the single exception of the United States, there are more international terrorist groups active here than in any other country in the world."
Although none of the 19 hijackers who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks came through Canada, there is mounting evidence that bin Laden has established a spider's web of support networks to America's north. These networks raise money, acquire valid travel documents for would-be terrorists, provide backup for operational cells and, in the case of Ressam, serve as the staging ground for attacks on the United States. Until now terrorists have been able to come and go in Canada as they please.
Rene Mercier, a spokesman for Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), the equivalent of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, says Canada now posts immigration-control officers overseas "to check out foreign sources of forged documents" used to apply for immigration visas. "Since 1995," he tells INSIGHT, "we have denied entry to 35,000 people who have shown up at ports and airports with improper documents."
The important thing, he adds, was to catch people who posed a potential security risk before they entered the country. "Once they gain entry, they're in"
Ressam was picked up by U.S. Customs agents on Dec. 14, 1999, five years after he faked a claim for political asylum. When he drove off the car ferry from British Columbia, an alert officer at Port Angeles, Wash., became suspicious from his nervous behavior and poor English. She ordered Ressam out of his car; then the terrorist tried to flee. A search of his rented Chrysler turned up 130 pounds of explosives, homemade detonators and plans of the Los Angeles International Airport stashed in the spare-tire compartment of the trunk.
The Canadians never alerted U.S. authorities that Ressam was about to cross the border, and his name was not on any U.S. watch list. "He was arrested totally by chance," Bruguiere says. "The Canadians knew about him two months earlier, but they let him slip through their fingers. If your Customs people hadn't been lucky, there would have been a major attack in America, with many dead."
Insight on the News, Dec 17, 2001 by Kenneth R. Timmerman
The United States has a problem with terrorists who have found safe haven to the north. In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, the Canadian government is seeking to enact a new antiterror bill that would enhance police powers, define acts of terrorism, crack down on money-laundering and allow preventive detention of individuals suspected of belonging to a terrorist network.
The new legislation is referred to in Canada as Bill C-36. But to terrorism experts it is better known as the Ahmed Ressam Act of 2001, after an Algerian-born disciple of Osama bin Laden who eluded Canadian authorities for more than five years and was caught, only by chance, just two weeks before a planned attack intended to kill hundreds of Americans.
Ressam, trained in bin Laden's camps in Afghanistan, has become known in the United States as the "Millennium Bomber." But to government officials in Ottawa he is worse than just a terrorist: He has become the face of Canada's failure to confront terrorism.
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"The issues surrounding [Ressam's] ability to operate in Canada have been addressed," Canadian Foreign Minister John Manley boasted to New York City's Foreign Policy Association on Nov. 5. "Do we believe that terrorist sympathizers have operated on Canadian soil? Unfortunately, yes, this is probably the ugly truth -- as it is in the United States, Germany, Britain and many other countries around the globe."
The French judge who pursued Ressam across the Atlantic to his safe haven in Canada warned that the bin Laden-trained terrorist was extremely dangerous and bent on mayhem. But the Canadian government didn't seem to care. It refused to act on a Rogatory Letter -- a formal, 40-page arrest warrant sent by the French judge on April 7, 1999 -- that spelled out his violent crimes in minute detail.
Sensing that Ressam was preparing to act, the French judge and the head of the French counterespionage service paid a high-profile visit to Ottawa in October 1999. Yet Canadian authorities refused to arrest the suspect. "The Canadians have been less than forthcoming," French terrorism judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere told INSIGHT laconically in a recent interview in Paris.
Canada has a problem and the government in Ottawa knows it. Lax immigration and political-asylum laws have made America's neighbor to the north a safe haven of choice for international terrorists of bin Laden's al-Qaeda network. But while the government now seeks to close some of the legal loopholes, it may be too late.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) claimed in a report released in May 2000 that it was watching some 50 terrorist organizations and 350 "individual targets," but that liberal policies governing foreigners claiming political asylum prevent them from cracking down. In that report, CSIS Director Ward Elcock noted: "With perhaps the single exception of the United States, there are more international terrorist groups active here than in any other country in the world."
Although none of the 19 hijackers who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks came through Canada, there is mounting evidence that bin Laden has established a spider's web of support networks to America's north. These networks raise money, acquire valid travel documents for would-be terrorists, provide backup for operational cells and, in the case of Ressam, serve as the staging ground for attacks on the United States. Until now terrorists have been able to come and go in Canada as they please.
Rene Mercier, a spokesman for Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), the equivalent of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, says Canada now posts immigration-control officers overseas "to check out foreign sources of forged documents" used to apply for immigration visas. "Since 1995," he tells INSIGHT, "we have denied entry to 35,000 people who have shown up at ports and airports with improper documents."
The important thing, he adds, was to catch people who posed a potential security risk before they entered the country. "Once they gain entry, they're in"
Ressam was picked up by U.S. Customs agents on Dec. 14, 1999, five years after he faked a claim for political asylum. When he drove off the car ferry from British Columbia, an alert officer at Port Angeles, Wash., became suspicious from his nervous behavior and poor English. She ordered Ressam out of his car; then the terrorist tried to flee. A search of his rented Chrysler turned up 130 pounds of explosives, homemade detonators and plans of the Los Angeles International Airport stashed in the spare-tire compartment of the trunk.
The Canadians never alerted U.S. authorities that Ressam was about to cross the border, and his name was not on any U.S. watch list. "He was arrested totally by chance," Bruguiere says. "The Canadians knew about him two months earlier, but they let him slip through their fingers. If your Customs people hadn't been lucky, there would have been a major attack in America, with many dead."
我个人绝对反对加拿大成为犯罪天堂，恐怖天堂！
上次有个报道说一个在魁北克与安大略活动的加拿大黑帮，2年之内谋杀了178个加拿大人。
联想到不久前有个中国移民刚到蒙特利尔没几天，就在街上无端被人拿刀捅了肚子。
大力引进恐怖分子，犯罪分子，已经威胁到了美国的国土安全。这就是美加关系搞僵的根本原因。美国将于2007年1月1日开始，对加拿大公民启用护照程序。之前是使用身份证就可以进入美国的。美加兄弟关系，一去不复返矣。
如果加拿大不修改移民法例，我敢预言其将无可避免日益被边沿化/第三世界化的可悲命运。
上次有个报道说一个在魁北克与安大略活动的加拿大黑帮，2年之内谋杀了178个加拿大人。
联想到不久前有个中国移民刚到蒙特利尔没几天，就在街上无端被人拿刀捅了肚子。
大力引进恐怖分子，犯罪分子，已经威胁到了美国的国土安全。这就是美加关系搞僵的根本原因。美国将于2007年1月1日开始，对加拿大公民启用护照程序。之前是使用身份证就可以进入美国的。美加兄弟关系，一去不复返矣。
如果加拿大不修改移民法例，我敢预言其将无可避免日益被边沿化/第三世界化的可悲命运。
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