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was feared that active cells might exist. The report noted that the scope of several of these
organizations had changed from being involved in  support roles, such as fund-raising and
[weapons] procurement, to actually planning and preparing terrorist acts from Canada.121
The groups cited in the report included Hezbollah and other Shiite Islamic terrorist
organizations; several Sunni Islamic extremist groups with ties to Egypt, Libya, Algeria,
Lebanon, and Iran; the PKK; the Provisional IRA; the Tamil Tigers; and all of the major Sikh
terrorist groups.122
In its 2001 Anti-Terrorism Act, the Canadian government officially bans 16 terrorist
organizations from conducting any type of activities within the country and allows the
government to designate specific individuals and groups as terrorist organizations. The Act also
provides for rigid criminal penalties against these individuals or groups and the seizure of assets.
This move has dealt a serious legal blow to groups that have relied on Canada as a financial
resource. The list, however, still contains fewer than half of the groups listed on a similar list
organized by the U.S. State Department. Included on the Canadian list are Al-Gama a al-
Islamiyya, al-Ittihad al-Islam, al-Qaeda, Algerian Armed Islamic Group, Asbat Al-Ansar, Aum
Shinrikyo, Egyptian al-Jihad, Hamas, Harakat ul-Mujahedin, Hezbollah, Islamic Army of Aden,
Jaish-e Mohammed, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Salifist
Group for Call and Combat, and Vanguards of Conquest.123
Al-Qaeda
Research indicates that al-Qaeda operatives, more than any other group, have sought
refuge in Canadian territory for the purpose of directing attacks against U.S. interests around the
globe, thus continuing the strategy the group has implemented of developing networks both for
financial and logistical reasons.124 To date there is no indication that al-Qaeda has modified its
goals in regard to targeting the United States, and CSIS has also stated its belief that there are
121
Colin Nickerson,  Canada Gets Reputation as a Haven for Fugitives, Boston Globe, December 21, 2000, A1.
122
Ibid.
123
Stewart Bell,  Liberals Relent, Hezbollah Outlawed: Graham Says It s Due to Recent Evidence, National Post
[Toronto], December 12, 2002, A1.
124
Peter L. Bergen,  Holy War, Inc. (New York: Touchstone, 2002), 200.
29
Library of Congress  Federal Research Division Asian Criminal and Terrorist Activity in Canada
sleeper cells operating in Canada that are capable of providing support for terrorist activities in
North America.125 Several incidents since 1999 indicate an al-Qaeda presence in Canada.
One such incident concerned Abdel Ghani. Ghani was arrested by police in Brooklyn in
1999. Ghani s telephone number had been found in the pocket of Ahmed Ressam. When he was
arrested while attempting to sneak into the United States from Canada, Ressam was an Algerian
national and member of the Algerian Armed Islamic group. Information obtained from Ghani
led police to Abdel Hakim Tizegha, an al-Qaeda member living in Canada. He was arrested on
December 24, 1999, after having sneaked across the U.S. border near Blaine, Washington.126
Another case involved Nabil al-Marabh. In June 2001, al-Marabh, suspected by U.S.
authorities of providing support to the September 11 hijackers, was caught as he tried to cross
into the United States from Canada, using a fake Canadian passport. Despite having been denied
refugee status and deported in 1994, al-Marabh had been able to re-enter Canada without
difficulty in 2001. Al-Marabh had shared a residence and worked at the same company as Raed
Hijazi, an alleged al-Qaeda operative. Al-Marabh allegedly transferred funds to bank accounts
and made fake IDs for some of the September 11 hijackers.127 After his capture in 2001, al-
Marbh was ultimately released on bail, despite having been deported from Canada in 1994, and
having known ties to al-Qaeda. The decision to release him was defended by Canada s Minister
of Immigration after September 11 because the minister believed that to detain him without
substantial evidence would be to violate Canada s policies. U.S. authorities took al-Marabh into
custody on September 19, 2001, in a Chicago suburb, because of his alleged connection with the
September 11 attacks.128
International attacks that have possible al-Qaeda connections also have roots in Canada.
The April 11, 2002 bombing of a synagogue in Tunisia may be linked to al-Qaeda operatives
who planned the attack while living in Canada and Germany, according to an article in the
Boston Globe. Niser bin Muhammad Nasar Nawar, an Islamic radical connected to al-Qaeda, is
suspected of planning the attack while living in Montreal. According to a French official, Nawar
entered Montreal in 1999, possibly with the assistance of the Tunisian Fighting Group, an [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]