Another good reason to keep terror cases out of the civil criminal justice system. Bruce
HL:Bomb plot case a delicate balance of security vigilance, rights of accused By Sue Bailey In 2003, the much-hyped arrests of 23 men amid reports of a Toronto al-Qaida sleeper cell soon dissolved into a mundane case of immigration fraud. But the damage was done. The lawyer for three of those men, most of them Pakistani students, says security vigilance once again threatens basic rights as the arrest of 17 suspects accused of a massive bomb plot stirs renewed public furor. "There can be a lot of hysteria," said Amina Sherazee in an interview from Toronto. "It's very important to be cautious. I think the best way to go about it is: make an arrest, and in the context of the criminal justice system, disclose the information which then the public should have access to." Police say they have a public duty to immediately inform citizens of such cases, without jeopardizing investigations or judicial proceedings. But a media uproar around news of the arrests over the weekend _ combined with the parade of shackled suspects appearing in a fortified courtroom replete with machine gun-toting police _ was prejudicial, Sherazee suggests. "I think all that is very sensationalist." Moreover, the suspects were caught in a powerful public spotlight without benefit of knowing crucial details of the case against them, she added. "I know some of the lawyers who represent the accused, and they're just as much in the dark," as to the actual evidence against their clients, Sherazee said. "It undermines the integrity of our criminal justice system." Sherazee witnessed similar treatment of her own clients three years ago when they were ensnared in what became known as Project Thread. Evidence summarized by immigration officials and presented at detention review hearings for the 23 men hinted at something much darker than immigration fraud. There was the case of the student pilot whose flight path crossed over the Pickering nuclear plant. Unexplained apartment fires where some of the accused lived, along with their apparent interest in the CN Tower and other Toronto landmarks, also fuelled speculation of terrorist intentions. But it soon became clear that the idea of a terrorist cell _ al-Qaida or otherwise _ was not supported by evidence. Many of the accused men were deported for immigration violations while a handful remained in Canada. Most of those who stayed applied for refugee status, saying the stigma of being branded a terrorist threat made it too risky for them to go home. "There were all kinds of theories that were put forward and the theories themselves took on a life of their own," recalled Sherazee. "And that's the big problem that I'm seeing being repeated in this (new) case. The RCMP and the police and even politicians are making public statements." Acting Sgt. Michele Paradis, a spokeswoman for the RCMP, says police can't lay charges in such cases and then remain silent until they come to trial "in two or three years. "I think that's a very naive point of view. "There will be questions from the Canadian public as to why the police arrested these people, and what the charges were and the circumstances surrounding it." Police offered an "objective view" as to the seriousness of the arrests made and the potential risk that had been posed, Paradis said. "We have never at any point said anything other than that these people are accused." Paradis also defended the unusual show of force as heavily armed police, including circling helicopters overhead, watched over court appearances of the accused Saturday in Brampton, Ont. "You have to realize this is a unique case," she said. "This is the first time a group has ever been arrested under the anti-terrorism legislation. 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