Man arrested at Pearson for alleged terror-related offences
Posted March 30, 2011 8:12 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A Toronto-area man was arrested at Pearson International airport this week for alleged terror-related offences, the RCMP said Wednesday.
Authorities said the 25-year-old suspect, Mohamed Hersi, was arrested Tuesday night just as he was about to board a plane to Cairo, Egypt. They claim he was eventually destined for Somalia where he allegedly planned to join a well-known terror group.
“In the course of this investigation it was revealed that the suspect was allegedly planning to travel to Somalia to join Al Shabaab and participate in their terrorist activities,” said Insp. Keith Finn, RCMP.
Hersi appeared in court on Wednesday and will be back before a judge on Friday.
Al Shabaab, which means “the youth” in Arabic, is a radical Islamic organization that controls a large swath of southern Somalia and is trying to overthrow the country’s transitional government. The Canadian government officially listed Al Shabaab as a terrorist organization in March 2010 due to its youth recruitment efforts. It practices a conservative brand of Islam similar to the Taliban and has been linked to al-Qaida.
RCMP Sgt. Marc LaPorte said several young men in Canada are believed to have travelled to Somalia to join the group. Authorities in the United States charged 14 people last year for their alleged participation in a “deadly pipeline” to send money and fighters to Somalia.
Hersi’s family told CityNews he recently graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in health science. The RCMP said the man did have a job, which he left to travel overseas.
Hersi is charged with attempting to participate in terrorist activity and with providing counsel to a person to participate in terrorist activity. He appeared in court wearing jeans, a grey hoodie and a black varsity jacket.
“The RCMP plays a critical role in the fight against global terrorism, and this investigation is an example of our dedication to this important cause,” Finn added.
The arrest was the result of a joint investigation involving the RCMP Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET) and Toronto Police, dubbed “Project Severe” that launched in October 2010.
With files from the Canadian Press and the Associated Press.
