Two men in Toronto have been taken into custody and charged with multiple counts of terrorism-related offenses, including conspiracy to commit murder and working on behalf of ISIS.
RCMP Assistant Comm. Matt Peggs said at a news conference in Newmarket, Ont. on Wednesday that the two men, a father and son, “were in advanced stages of committing a serious violent attack in Toronto.”
Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi, 62, and Mostafa Eldidi, 26, face charges for their alleged terrorist activities, including working with the Islamic State.
Assistant Comm. Peggs said the RCMP became aware of the father and son’s plot massacre Torontonians in early July.
Police also charged the men with one count each of possessing a dangerous weapon for a terrorist-related purpose, “those weapons being an axe and a machete.”
The investigation was led by The Integrated National Security Enforcement Teams (INSETs), which is a specialized unit in Canada dedicated to combating terrorism and threats to national security.
Canada’s spy service, CSIS, was also involved in the investigation, Peggs said.
CSIS no longer tracking what religion inspires terrorism
Earlier this year, CSIS announced it was no longer assigning a specific belief system when tracking terrorism, moving to a more generalized categorization that lumps it all together.
In a two minute video, the CSIS spokesperson said the main reason for the change is to avoid stigmatization of any particular group — an apparent priority for CSIS over the implications the change could have for Canada’s national security.
“Words matter, and the words we use to describe threats to our national security really matter,” stated CSIS. “It’s no longer accurate to assume that people who commit serious acts of violence are influenced by a singular belief system.”
