Abu Wabu

Imagine my surprise: Massive terror attack averted: RCMP

A terror attack potentially three times more devastating than the Oklahoma City bombing has been averted, the RCMP alleged Saturday.

A counterterrorism sweep Friday resulted in the largest arrest ever made by the nation's anti-terrorism forces and raised, for the first time, the spectre of homegrown terrorists striking Canadians from within our borders.

RCMP Assistant Commissioner Mike McDonell announced the arrest of 12 Ontario men who were to appear in court later Saturday in Brampton, west of Toronto. The men ranged in age from 19 to 43, and are residents of Toronto, Mississauga and Kingston.

Five youths who cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act have also been arrested and charged.

Of course the fact of the attempted attack(s) is no surprise at all: al Qaeda has long made it clear that Canada is on its shitlist, and has been encouraging so-called "homegrown" non-al Qaeda Islamists in North America, Europe and elsewhere to wreak havoc on their behalf. Only wishful thinkers have thought such a thing improbable or even impossible. Perhaps Canadians will wake up to the Islamofascist threat now that it's clear these conniving, murderous bastards live among us.

Jeffrey Imm at Counterterrorism Blog describes how badly Canadians are underestimating the threat presented by second- and third-generation homegrown Jihadists, closing his article with a chilling quote from former RCMP jihadism expert Tom Quiggin:

A clear sense of denial exists in Canada about the degree to which terrorism activity occurs. Political correctness is wielded as a weapon against anyone who dares to speak out. Yet some of the world's most infamous terrorists have operated in Canada almost unhindered for years. Even direct threats against Canada and attacks against Canadians with multiple deaths have not broken this denial. As a result of the highly suppressed political discourse in Canada, the domestic response to this growing problem has been limited.

Thomas Galvin asks, "For all those who are quick to blame the West for the world's ills, what did Canada do to 'deserve' this?" Glavin also has a reading list for those wanting to educate themselves on the nature of Islamofascism:

1) Jihad in the West: Muslim Conquests from the 7th to the 21st Centuries by Paul Fregosi
2) The Sword of the Prophet: History, Theology, Impact on the World by Serge Trifkovic
3) The Decline of Eastern Christianity Under Islam: From Jihad to Dhimmitude : Seventh-Twentieth Century by Bat Ye'Or
4) While Europe Slept : How Radical Islam is Destroying the West from Within by Bruce Bawer
5) Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis by Bat Ye'Or
6) TheForce of Reason by Oriana Fallaci
7) The Legacy of Jihad: Islamic Holy War and the Fate of Non-Muslims by Andrew
Bostom

Kate at Small Dead Animals:

Any guesses at how long it takes the usual suspects to a) downplay the story as much ado about nothing, and/or b) weave it into a conspiracy to turn Canada into Shrubhitler's police state. Update; It's already begun.

The list of suspects:

The Toronto Star is now online with a report. Those arrested:
1. Fahim Ahmad, 21, Toronto;
2. Zakaria Amara, 20, Mississauga, Ont.;
3. Asad Ansari, 21, Mississauga;
4. Shareef Abdelhaleen, 30, Mississauga;
5. Qayyum Abdul Jamal, 43, Mississauga;
6. Mohammed Dirie, 22, Kingston, Ont.;
7. Yasim Abdi Mohamed, 24, Kingston;
8. Jahmaal James, 23, Toronto;
9. Amin Mohamed Durrani, 19, Toronto;
10. Steven Vikash Chand alias Abdul Shakur, 25, Toronto;
11. Ahmad Mustafa Ghany, 21, Mississauga;
12. Saad Khalid, 19, of Eclipse Avenue, Mississauga.

(What was that quote from the news conference about the individuals not reflecting on any one community?) - here it is: "This operation does not reflect badly on any ethno-cultural group in Canada".

Well, except for those ethno-cultural groups comprising organized cells of Muslims planning to massacre untold scores of innocent Canadians in the name of Allah. There's obviously some kind of "ethno-cultural" thing going on there. What an insult to Canadians' intelligence.

Kate has more thanks to a "sharp-eyed reader": two of the arrested already have a history of violent aspirations.

Two men tried to re-enter Canada from the United States early Saturday with handguns and ammunition strapped to their bodies, Canadian police said.

Ali Dirie, 22, and Yasin Mohamed, 23 -- both Canadians from the Toronto area -- face weapons-related charges and are in police custody in Niagara Falls, Ontario, according to a police statement. Ontario's Provincial Weapons Enforcement Team and the Niagara Regional Police Service are investigating.

Begging the question, why weren't these guys already in jail? I'll hazard a guess that maybe someone didn't want them interrupted until it was clear what they were up to. At least I hope that's the answer.

Michelle Shephard of the Toronto Star has a detailed article on the investigation.

Seixon hits hard as usual in Terrorism, eh?:

For anyone who understands what this terrorist threat is all about, this is no surprise. Those who don’t, what will they attribute this to? Will they claim it is Canadian imperialism, military oppression, unilateralism, or involvement in Afghanistan? Of course they won’t. So what then?

Andrew Cochran at Counterterrorism Blog: Were Canadian Jihadists Targeting Pickering Nuclear Plant? As this story describes, it wouldn't be the first time.

Counterterrorism Blog also has this update to the article linked at the top:

Terror suspects appeared in court on Saturday. The Ontario plot is reported to have worldwide links. This includes a link between Toronto terror suspects with two US suspects in custody based in Georgia: Syed Haris Ahmed and Ehsanul Islam Sadequee.
The National Post reports that Canadian terror arrests of 17 individuals in Toronto area "are linked at least 18 related arrests had already taken place in Canada, the United States, Britain, Bosnia, Denmark, Sweden, and Bangladesh.The six-month RCMP investigation, called Project OSage, is one of several overlapping probes that
include an FBI case called Operation Northern Exposure and a British probe known
as Operation Mazhar."

Michelle Malkin offers her Euphemism O' The Day, with Flashbacks of interest:

Oh, dear Lord. A jihadist plot, possibly of global scale, possibly imminent, unravels in Canada...and what do law enforcement officials do? Try to whitewash the obvious jihadi profile from the public's mind.

At the press briefing held by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police today, the suspects who appeared in court--all sporting traditional Muslim male beards and requesting Korans--were described as coming from a "broad strata" of society. (Hat tip: reader Ed)

Broad strata.

Yes, the same "broad strata" from which the 9/11 hijackers, 1993 World Trade Center bombers, USS Cole bombers, etc., etc., etc., came.

More on this "broad strata" thingy from Ed Morrissey:

The only broad strata at work is the network of multicultural apologists that will attempt to make themselves feel good by ignoring the obvious connection between these suspects, the one that even a child could detect from the list of suspects and their involvement in Islamist websites. That broad strata will go to their deaths rather than admit that radical Islam comprises a threat against Western civilization. Unfortunately, they will take the rest of us with them.

Ace notes that the idiots seem not to have heard about any of this, although as soon as they find out that Stephen Harper is a demonic Rove minion using a Fake Terrorism Investigation To Influence Politics In Six Countries, they will no doubt spring into action, apologizing for and defending Islamofascists and demanding an end to internet surfing by Canadian police and counterterror investigators.