Canadian Police Thwart Terror Plot, Arrest Two Suspects

Canadian police thwarted a terror plot on Monday when they arrested two suspects linked with al Qaeda. The pair allegedly planned to derail a passenger train in Greater Toronto.

The Canadian Mounted Police called the plan a “major terrorist attack.” The RCMP spoke during an afternoon news conference, saying that Chiheb Esseghaier, 30, and Raed Jaser, 35, had received guidance and support from al Qaeda “elements” in Iran.

They added, however, that there was no indication the Canadian terror suspects were “state sponsored.” Neither man is a Canadian citizen, but the RCMP did not disclose their nationalities or say how long they were in the country.

The RCMP explained that the plot involved “a specific route but not a specific train.” Canadian police also released a statement, saying:

“While the RCMP believed that these individuals had the capacity and intent to carry out these criminal acts, there was no imminent threat to the general public, rail employees, train passengers or infrastructure.”

While the Canadian police have not released the men’s nationalities, media reports say they are Tunisian. Esseghaier was living in Montreal while Jaser was living in Toronto at the time of his arrest. Reports also say that the pair planned to derail a passenger train between Toronto and New York.

The arrests took place after police spent eight months investigating them with the FBI. The investigation was dubbed “Operation Smooth.” Officers executed search warrants on both suspects’ homes on Monday, according to police.

The RCMP also assured that the foiled Canadian terror plot was not at all connected with the Boston Marathon bombings. The suspect in that case, 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was charged on Monday with using a weapon of mass destruction. He could face the death penalty if convicted.

The suspects in the foiled Canadian terror plot are expected in court on Tuesday. They face charges of conspiring to carry out an attack as well as conspiring to murder individuals for the benefit of a terrorist group.

[Image via ValeStock / Shutterstock.com]