Canada: Jihad suspect tries to walk out of his own trial, saying he doesn't recognize Canadian law

COLIN FREEZE

Globe and Mail Update

TORONTO — An Islamic convert facing terrorism charges was re-arrested after trying to walk out of his own trial Tuesday – saying simply that “I'm outta here” – after telling the court he wouldn't recognize Canadian law.

The 20-year-old, who can't be identified because he was underage at the time of his arrest two years ago, had been released on bail. But he spent last night in jail, and his legal future is unclear. At the time proceedings broke down, a police officer had been on the stand, and the court was discussing the young man's mental status, including whether he was suicidal.

The only youth among 11 Torontonians accused of a variety of conspiracies is also the only suspect whose case has got to its trial phase. He faces charges of attending a terrorist training camp. The court has heard only preliminary motions so far, and has yet to delve into evidence or testimony.

While on bail, the young man had been living with his Hindu parents.

A Toronto Muslim preacher told The Globe that the suspect had been coming to Friday prayers, saying that he'd rather return to jail than live in a non-Islamic household.

“He said ‘In jail, I can at least pray,'” Aly Hindy, imam of the Salahuddin Islamic Centre in Scarborough, said in an interview.

“I said ‘Don't do this!'” Mr. Hindy said. He added that he counselled the young man to pray in secret, but tensions between the suspect and his father had reached a boiling point.

The family did not comment.

Mr. Hindy added that the young man is “confused” and that “lots of young people, they need guidance.” The young man had lately been expressing an interest in circumcising himself, the imam said, consistent with his understanding of what the Prophet Abraham had done.

A self-described Islamic fundamentalist, Mr. Hindy has appeared as a proposed bail surete for a variety of individuals facing national-security-related proceedings. The imam said that nothing in Islam calls for Muslims to disregard the Canadian criminal-justice system.

Few observers were in the court Tuesday.

After the youth announced that he was firing his lawyer and didn't recognize the court led by Mr. Justice John Sproat, officials urged him to reconsider.

Mitchell Chernovsky, a defence lawyer for the accused, declined comment when asked whether he was still the young man's lawyer.

Dan Brien, a spokesman for the federal prosecutors, said only that the suspect had been remanded into custody, but he would not be giving any further details. A hearing is scheduled for Monday.

The man remains among the more peripheral suspects. He is accused of attending a two-week training camp shortly before his 18th birthday.

Two of his pretrial motions had recently failed this month. His lawyers failed in a bid to have a publication ban placed on allegations that some his co-accused plotted to bomb a stock exchange, a spy service headquarters, and an army base in Toronto.

A defence legal argument that involvement in armed jihad was a potential freedom-of-religion issue had also failed to sway Judge Sproat.
Comment by Jihad Watch: Authorities are treating it, of course, as a sign that he may be unbalanced. No one gets the idea that maybe, just maybe, he is acting upon some principle of Islam that it might be good for Western authorities in general to know about.