Report Exonerates Tortured Canadian Citizen Of Terror Ties While Pointing The Finger At National Authorities

And after four long years in trying to get justice, the Canadian citizen has finally received his vindication.

The story began in September 2002, when Arar arrived at JFK Airport in New York, only to be detained by American authorities on suspicion of being a terrorist.

When his protestations were ignored, he demanded to be returned to Canada. But he was sent to the Middle East country instead, where he underwent torture by officials trying to get him to confess his involvement with al-Qaida.

But a report released by Mr. Justice Dennis O’Connor Monday has completely absolved Arar of any terror connections, puts the blame on Canadian officials for providing false information on his status and suggests he be compensated for his suffering.

O’Connor’s report doesn’t directly tie Canadian security agencies into the decision to send the Ottawa resident to Syria instead of his home country. But his research indicates the R.C.M.P. shared information about him with American anti-terrorist agencies that suggested he was a Osama bin Laden associate and that he was being investigated by authorities at home.

The judge found the claim that held no basis in fact and that many of the contentions weren’t double checked to ensure they were accurate, a violation of the Mounties’ rules for sharing information with foreign agencies.

And he exonerates the victim from any wrongdoing.

“I am able to say categorically that there is no evidence to indicate that Mr. Arar has committed any offence or that his activities constituted a threat to the security of Canada,” he writes.

O’Connor refused to directly pin the blame an any of the agencies involved, noting that wasn’t part of his mandate. But he hopes the government will study his conclusions and take action where it’s warranted.

• O’Connor also found “troubling questions” about the role played by Canadian officials in the cases of three other Arab-Canadians, Ahmad El Maati, Abdullah Almalki and Muayyed Nureddin. All were tortured in Syria after traveling there on personal business, and all suspect the RCMP and-or CSIS collaborated with their captors. Those cases didn’t come under his mandate either, but he suggests some kind of  inquiry be called to probe those incidents, as well.

Report Highlights

–There is no evidence to suggest Arar was an Al Qaeda member — or terrorist.

–Investigators continued to try and build a case against Arar even after he was released from a Syrian prison.

–The R.C.M.P.  provided information about Arar to U-S authorities that was inaccurate and exaggerated his importance in an investigation involving another terror suspect.

–The R.C.M.P.  violated its own policy by sharing the information abroad without providing the proper context or clarifications.

–In deciding to deport Arar to Syria, U-S authorities likely relied on the R.C.M.P.  information.

–Canadian authorities played no role in the decision to deport Arar.

–Canadian Foreign Affairs officials likely made his stay in a Syrian prison longer by giving the R.C.M.P.  and C-SIS statements Arar made under torture — something that heightened security suspicions.

–Federal officials prepared reports that downplayed Arar’s torture.

–Inaccurate and confidential information about Arar was deliberately leaked to the media by Canadian officials in order to protect the government’s interests.