Americas News
Terror suspects appear in court, more arrests to come (Roundup)
By DPA
Jun 6, 2006, 19:00 GMT

Toronto - Police said that more arrests were expected as 15 terror suspects appeared in court Tuesday, facing charges including founding a terrorist cell in the Toronto area and plotting to blow up the Canadian parliament in Ottawa, media reports said.

A police spokesman said the investigation was far from over as authorities uncovered links between the Canadian cell and groups in five other countries, including the US.

Canadian police arrested 17 people on terror-related charges, including five boys younger than 18, in a series of raids Friday evening. The suspects reportedly gave themselves away in a series of web chats monitored by the Canadian intelligence agency since late 2004.

One of the 15 suspects is accused of wanting to behead the Canadian prime minister, his lawyer Gary Batasar said Tuesday. A bail hearing was set for next week at the courthouse in Brampton, Ontario.

Police said Saturday that the men, influenced by the al-Qaeda network, had been in the process of building an explosive device from three tonnes of ammonium nitrate.

Only one tonne of ammonium nitrate was used in the 1995 terrorist attack on the US city of Oklahoma City that killed 168 people, police said Saturday for purposes of comparison.