A rchive Date
[ 27-12-2004 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ Canada ]
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[http://www.canoe.ca/CNEWSAttack011012/12_funds-sun.html
Al-Qaida raising funds in Canada
By TOM GODFREY-- The Toronto Sun
Friday, October 12, 2001
The RCMP are probing tips that tapes of Osama bin Laden and other goods are being sold in Toronto and Montreal to raise funds for his terrorist organization, police sources say.
And Toronto Police intelligence officers have begun conducting background checks, some generated from the U.S., to track suspects linked to bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist network who may be waiting in Toronto to wreak further havoc.
Police sources said information has been received over an RCMP tip line that a few bin Laden supporters have travelled to mosques in both cities trying to raise money through the sale of anti-American propaganda, including audio and video tapes of bin Laden.
Police believe the funds raised here are sent through money transfers to bin Laden supporters in India and Pakistan, then channelled to his terrorists in Afghanistan.
Const. Michele Paradis said 2,000 Mounties nationwide have been assigned to help the FBI and probe Canadian links to the U.S. attacks.
"We are looking at all aspects of the investigation," Paradis said. "Anything with even the remotest connection to Sept. 11 is being looked at."
She refused to discuss specifics of the probe but said all 4,700 phone tips received by the federal police force will be investigated.
"If there is a tip that came in along those lines, it will be looked at," she said.
The RCMP have questioned about 500 people in its probe.
Omar Farouk, of the International Muslim Organization, said members of his mosque are law-abiding citizens.
"We respect the laws of Canada," Farouk said. "We don't want what happened to the U.S. to happen here."
Shabir Ally, of the Dawa Centre, said his mosque won't support fundraising for bin Laden.
"If this is taking place, it should be stopped," Ally said.
Police say two al-Qaida members have lived in Canada and there's a network of sympathizers here.
Algerian terrorist Ahmed Ressam, of Montreal, who was nabbed with a trunk full of explosives trying to sneak into the U.S., claimed he was trained at an al-Qaida camp in Pakistan. And Parkdale refugee claimant Nabil Al-Marabh was arrested by the FBI for his role in the attacks.
Meanwhile, Toronto Police have moved officers from other units to form a full-time intelligence unit to track terrorism suspects.
 World Fact Book (CIA)]
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