MPs to investigate how suspected terrorist got citizenship

(Ottawa) A House of Commons committee will investigate how a man accused of terrorism-related activities was first admitted to Canada and later obtained Canadian citizenship.

Members of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians voted unanimously Tuesday to look into the cases of two men accused of terrorism-related crimes who were arrested in the Toronto area in late July.

Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi, 62, and his son Mostafa Eldidi, 26, were arrested at a hotel in Richmond Hill, north of Toronto. They face nine terrorism-related charges, including one count of conspiracy to commit murder on behalf of ISIS.

In announcing the charges on July 31, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said the father and son “were in the advanced stages of planning a serious and violent attack in Toronto.”

The RCMP alleges the accused “knowingly facilitated terrorist activity in the Greater Toronto Area, York Region and possibly elsewhere in Ontario.”

Most of the charges relate to activities that allegedly took place in Canada. But the elder Eldidi, who is a Canadian citizen, according to the RCMP, is also charged with one count of aggravated assault outside the country.

An RCMP spokesman said last week that police were awaiting confirmation of the status of the son, Mostafa Eldidi.

The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, made up of MPs and senators, will begin its study later this month. It plans to call on Immigration Minister Marc Miller and Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, among others.

Mr. LeBlanc said federal departments are reviewing how two men suspected of links to a terrorist organization abroad were allowed to enter Canada.

At a news conference Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government would share its findings “at an appropriate time.”

“We take this matter very seriously, because Canadians must have confidence in our immigration system,” assured Mr. Trudeau.