BRAMPTON, Ont. - The leader of an alleged homegrown terrorist conspiracy apparently planned to use a troubled young man to carry out potentially suicidal missions in Canada, such as attacking Parliament Hill and beheading MPs, a police mole testified Wednesday.
There was "discussion of martyrdom'' during a 12-day military-style training camp north of Toronto in December 2005, RCMP informant Mubin Shaikh told court on his second day of testimony
"Some of them did think in the context of some kind of attack where they get killed,'' Shaikh said of the trainees.
The group's alleged leader later told Shaikh privately of his plan to "exploit'' the young man "in such a way,'' court heard.
During a car trip a few weeks after the camp, the group's leader discussed "Operation Badr,'' a proposed mission to attack Parliament Hill, take MPs hostage and behead them one by one while carrying out simultaneous attacks elsewhere, Shaikh said.
"It's the removal of one's head from one's body,'' Shaikh said when prosecutor John Neander asked him to explain beheadings, which would have been used in an attempt at extracting various concessions from the government.
Shaikh, who was reportedly paid more than $300,000 for his work as an RCMP agent, testified how the group's leader consistently pushed his ideology with "criminal extremist rhetoric.''
"We're not officially al Qaida, but we share their principles,'' Shaikh cited him as saying. "(Jihad) was his thing. He always talked about it. He didn't care about innocent people.''
Shaikh said the man was angry at Canada's intervention in Afghanistan. By aligning itself with the United States, Canada had become "the enemy,'' he said.
"Once he determines Canada to be an enemy, anything goes,'' Shaikh said. "He went on about attacking a number of targets.''
Shaikh, the prosecution's star witness, described the accused as an "enthusiastic'' participant at the camp.
"He did what he was told to do, and he did it well,'' Shaikh told Ontario Superior Court Justice John Sproat.
The young man is the first of the alleged group of Toronto-area terrorists to face trial.
Charges have been stayed against three other youths and four adults also arrested in the summer of 2006 in what police called a terrifying conspiracy to wreak widespread havoc in Canada.
Neither the accused, who is now 20 but is being tried as a young offender, nor the other 10 accused can be publicly identified by court order.
The young man, who recently converted to Islam, obviously had troubles at home, court heard.
To recruit "disaffected Muslim youth'' to the extremist cause, the man would show them a computer CD with "very disturbing'' examples of extremist Islamic violence, Shaikh said.
"You've got to really buckle up before you watch that stuff.''
Those attending the camp in the dead of winter were expected to maintain spartan, military-like discipline, court heard -- but the lure of proper bathrooms and hot chocolate at a nearby Tim Hortons proved too strong.
"Nobody can avoid Tim Hortons,'' Shaikh said, adding the group went to the restaurant dressed "real low key'' -- in fatigues.
The sound of howling at night in the bush, possibly a coyote, scared them, he said.
Court heard that the group's co-leader later became enthusiastic about buying a property in the hamlet of Opasatika, about 10 hours north of Toronto.
The idea was to use the place, located on Government Road, as a hideout, training facility and place to store weapons, Shaikh said.
Court also saw a video in which Shaikh teaches the people at the camp how to use a gun safely.
The video was intended as both a training and propaganda tool, the Crown alleges, and overlaid lyrical music can be heard.
"It's basically a call to arms,'' Shaikh said of the song. "The melody is sweet. The message is poison.''
Shaikh continues his evidence on Friday.
