Canada rail terror plotters are jailed for life

Two men had plotted to cut a hole in a railway bridge to derail the Canadian Via Rail passenger train between Toronto and New York, aiming to kill and injure dozens of people. Investigators in the case alleged during the trial that they had received guidance from members of al-Qaida in Iran; Iranian government officials denied having anything to do with the plot.

Defendants Chiheb Esseghaier and Raed Jaser will now have to serve a minimum of 10 years before becoming eligible for parole on the life sentences handed to them earlier today.

Tunisian national Chiheb Esseghaier was found guilty in March of all five charges against him, including conspiracy to participate in or contribute to terrorist activities. Raed Jaser, a Canadian resident of Palestinian descent, was found guilty of three of four charges while the jury remained deadlocked on a conspiracy charge, as the prosecution did not manage to establish a direct link to overseas extremists in his case. The two men, both in their 30s, were arrested in 2013.

Canada's zero tolerance for extremism

Outside the courthouse, prosecutor Croft Michaelson said the sentences sent the message "that if you commit terrorist offenses in Canada with the intention of causing indiscriminate killing you're going to pay a very heavy price."

"As you saw with the two life sentences that were imposed today on both of the offenders, the court has imposed a heavy price on them for the acts that they committed."

At sentencing Justice Michael Code said that the duo had not renounced their violent jihadist ideology, had shown no remorse and were unlikely to be rehabilitated.

Link to terror cell in the US

During their trial, the court heard that an undercover US FBI agent had gained the trust of Jaser and Esseghaier and had surreptitiously recorded their conversations, which made up the bulk of the case's evidence. The two were recorded speaking about alleged terror plots they would conduct in retaliation for Canada's military actions in Muslim countries, including the planned derailing.

A few weeks after Esseghaier and Jaser were arrested FBI officials also detained a Tunisian man in New York, who they said was linked to the rail terror plot. Ahmed Abassi was charged with trying to remain in the United States illegally to build a cell for international acts of terror.

Abbasi was deported to Tunisia following a 15-month prison sentence after admitting to fraud charges pertaining to the misuse of his visa in the US.

ss/bw (AFP, AP)