Two Terror Accused Tried To Gain Support At Local High School
Posted June 8, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The fact those accused in the Southern Ontario terror plot were all from this country has horrified many and given just about everyone pause.
But it appears many others had at least a hint of the thought processes behind what was allegedly being planned.
Two of the suspects collared last Friday were seen hanging around a local high school, apparently attempting to indoctrinate other students with their philosophy.
Many remember seeing 19-year-old Amin Mohammed Durrani (top left) and 25-year-old Steven Chand at Stephen Leacock C.I. preaching the virtues of Islam and looking for converts.
A classmate who doesn’t want to be identified remembers the nature of the pitch.
“He decided to spread his religion at school,” the student recalls of Durrani. “Told us more about it at school. At meetings he used to tell us to come to Islam and stuff like that.”
The pair is accused of recruiting at least two of the young offenders also charged in the alleged terror plot.
Like Chand, those youngsters were also converts to Islam.
Officials point out there’s nothing wrong with relating the values of the religion, but worry about the turn it may have allegedly taken in this case.
And that may not be the end of the education connection.
There are also reports Durrrani briefly enrolled at a flight training program at Centennial College but withdrew because he feared it might call too much attention to his actions.
Most of the accused are due back in court on Monday.
