Details of Canadian Plot Emerge By ANTHONY DePALMA http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/06/world/americas/06cnd-canada.html?_r=1 <http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/06/world/americas/06cnd-canada.html?_r=1&ore f=slogin&pagewanted=print> &oref=slogin&pagewanted=print
BRAMPTON, Ontario, June 6 - The terrorist plot that Canadian authorities say they foiled included plans for a series of violent attacks in Toronto and Ottawa, holding public officials hostage, seizing media offices and beheading Prime Minister Stephen Harper if Canadian troops were not removed from Afghanistan, a lawyer for one of the accused men said in court today. The accusations - but no evidence to support them - were included in a government summary that was given to defense attorneys just before preliminary hearings began in a courtroom here today. The document was not made public. The charges, if true, would go far beyond the limited information that investigators have revealed about what they say was a wide-ranging conspiracy among 17 radical Muslim men and youths to use homemade explosives against unnamed targets in southern Ontario. The assertion that the suspects may have been taking aim at the government itself set off a round of introspection in Ottawa and across the country, as Canadians tried to comprehended the extent of the planned violence on their soil. Ten of the 12 men accused in the plot appeared in court today for a preliminary hearing, handcuffed and wearing white t-shirts and gray trousers. All asked for bail proceedings to be postponed while their lawyers prepared their defense. Two men did not appear because they are already in prison, serving sentences for attempting to smuggle guns into Canada <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/ca nada/index.html?inline=nyt-geo> . Several defense lawyers complained that they had been unable to speak to their clients in private, because of the extraordinary security surrounding them. Since shortly after they were arrested over the weekend, the men have been held in a 24-hour lockup in a maximum security prison, and have been prohibited from talking to their families or one another. The lawyer who spoke about the government's accusations, Gary Batasar, said he wanted to force the government to reveal the evidence on which it had based the claims. "If the crown's attorney for the country of Canada is going to make these allegations, then certainly, before a client commences a bail hearing, we should have at least more than simply a one-page synopsis of the allegations against him," Mr. Batasar said. He claimed that he heard about the accusations for the first time when he received the government summary this morning, and that he needed more information to mount a defense. "We're hoping the prosecutor's office will provide us with further disclosures," he said. The accusations in the government document referred specifically to the 25-year-old man Mr. Batasar represents, Steven Vikash Chand of Toronto, who appeared in court with shoulder-length black hair and a full beard. Mr. Chand listened to the accusations intently, and then turned his eyes up to the ceiling. When asked if the charges referred only to his client, Mr. Batasar said they applied to others as well, though he did not name them. The government papers describe a series of planned attacks that would devastate the Canadian government and cripple its major cities, according to Mr. Baltasar. The men were said to be planning to storm the Gothic-style Parliament buildings and take hostages. Then they planned to behead hostages unless Canadian troops were pulled out of Afghanistan and Muslim prisoners released. Mr. Chand was accused of having remarked that he would "personally like to behead Prime Minister Stephen Harper," Mr. Batasar said. The men were also said to have plotted attacks on power lines, media offices and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation building in Toronto. Jim Leising, the prosecutor in the case, did not comment on the accusations in the summary. He said he would be ready to outline the government's case on Thursday. But all of the defense lawyers have asked for more time to meet with their clients and prepare for the hearing. In the Canadian court system, prosecutors outline their case and present evidence at the bail hearing, as they argue against releasing suspects on bail. Bail hearings for the 17 suspects in the terrorism case are not expected to be held for several weeks. Investigators have said little about the evidence they have against the suspects. At a news briefing they presented a computer tower, a crude cell-phone detonator and other electronic equipment they had seized. They also showed a bag of ammonium nitrate fertilizer that they said was similar to the material the suspects planned to use to make huge bombs. American officials, who have acknowledged being involved in the year-long investigation, said Canadian authorities had monitored internet chat rooms, e-mail messages and phone conversations to learn about the suspects' actions. FAIR USE NOTICE: All original content and/or articles and graphics in this message are copyrighted, unless specifically noted otherwise. All rights to these copyrighted items are reserved. Articles and graphics have been placed within for educational and discussion purposes only, in compliance with "Fair Use" criteria established in Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976. The principle of "Fair Use" was established as law by Section 107 of The Copyright Act of 1976. 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