(Ottawa) Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller will consider stripping Canadian citizenship from a man accused of planning a terrorist attack in Toronto.
Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi, 62, and his son Mostafa Eldidi, 26, were arrested in Richmond Hill, Ont., and face nine counts of terrorism, including conspiracy to commit murder on behalf of the Islamic State armed group.
When the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced the charges on July 31, they said the two men were “in the advanced stages of planning a serious and violent attack in Toronto.”
The 62-year-old, who is a Canadian citizen, is also charged with one count of aggravated assault outside the country.
“I think Canadians deserve answers. I’m going to get to the bottom of this. I’m also going to take the next step, which is to begin the preliminary work with the evidence that’s available to determine whether the citizenship of the individual in question should be revoked,” Miller said at a news conference in Church Point, N.S., on Wednesday.
PHOTO ALEXANDRA NEWBOULD, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi and his son Mostafa Eldidi, depicted in a court drawing, on 1er august
Under federal law, Canada has the power to revoke a person’s citizenship if they obtained it by providing false information or concealing relevant facts.
Several questions remain unanswered
Many questions about the two men remain unanswered. The government has not commented on their status in the country, citing privacy concerns.
However, Mr Miller said he had asked his deputy minister to establish a timeline of events explaining how the father became a citizen.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said last week that his department and the Immigration Department have opened an internal review into the matter. It is not yet clear how much information the government will share following the review.
“I’m as disgusted as any Canadian, but I have a responsibility to get to the bottom of this, and I will,” Miller said.
The information I can share in criminal proceedings may be limited, but I want to ensure, first and foremost, that Canadians are safe and that we do not compromise an ongoing legal matter.
Marc Miller
MPs on the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security voted unanimously Tuesday to launch a review into terror suspects arrested in the Toronto area last month.
The committee will also seek to determine how the father obtained citizenship and will invite the ministers of immigration and public safety to testify.
The committee hearings are expected to begin during the week of August 26.