A father and son have been arrested and charged in Canada with planning a “terrorist attack” in the city of Toronto on behalf of the Islamic State armed group, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced Wednesday.
Ahmed Eldidi, 62, and his son Mostafa Eldidi, 26, were arrested Sunday at a Toronto-area hotel while they were “in the advanced stages” of planning a “serious and violent attack” targeting the city, authorities said.
This “terrorist attack was prevented by the Greater Toronto Area Integrated National Security Team,” RCMP Commander Matt Peggs said at a news conference Wednesday.
The two men were charged with participating “in the activities of a terrorist group, in this case [le groupe armé] Islamic State, also known as Daesh, of conspiracy to commit murder and possession of an axe and a machete, the commander said.
The investigation against the two men, who are Canadian citizens and reside in Toronto, began a month ago, he said.
“This was an imminent threat that we were able to successfully thwart, preventing serious injury or death,” Peggs continued.
The two men are due to appear before a judge on Thursday.
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