BRAMPTON, Ont. - The only member of the so-called Toronto 18 who has pleaded guilty to taking part in the group's domestic terrorist plot is not a psychopath, court heard Wednesday.
While Saad Khalid displays some narcissistic traits he is also a bright young man with no history of mental illness, substance abuse, or any "full-blown" psychiatric disorder, Dr. Lisa Ramshaw of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health told Khalid's sentencing hearing.
Khalid, 22, pleaded guilty last month to one charge that he participated in a terror group "with the intention of causing an explosion or explosions that were likely to cause serious body harm or death," or to damage property.
The terror plot aimed to unleash rampant destruction over a three-day period, with bombs to go off at the Toronto Stock Exchange, CSIS headquarters, and an unspecified military base.
Khalid showed little emotion Wednesday as Ramshaw, a forensic psychologist called by Khalid's defence team, delivered her assessment of the man's psychological makeup.
Ramshaw told court she interviewed Khalid over two half-days at the Maplehurst Correctional Complex in Milton, Ont., and also spoke with Khalid's father and older sister.
Khalid's narcissistic traits include an "underlying grandiosity," but he did not score particularly high on a test that measured psychopathic tendencies, she said.
Ramshaw told Khalid's lawyer, Russell Silverstein, that while his client no longer agrees with terrorism, Khalid also said his disavowal "depends on how you define terrorism."
She said Khalid now wants to bring about change in a "constructive" way.
"He has the capacity for that. He's a bright young man... he has an extremely supportive family who are in daily contact with him," said Ramshaw.
Khalid was arrested in the summer of 2006 along with 17 others following an investigation by CSIS, Canada's spy agency.
One suspect, a youth at the time of his arrest, has been convicted of conspiring to bomb several targets. In that case, the judge said it was clear that a homegrown terrorist cell that adhered to al-Qaida principles existed.
Seven of the accused have had their charges stayed or dropped. Khalid's alleged co-conspirators cannot be named due to a publication ban.
In an agreed statement of facts entered into evidence Monday, Khalid was cast as having more of a supportive role in the plot. Some of his assigned tasks included renting a home for the others to work in, moving explosive materials from a van to a warehouse he rented, and driving one of the bomb trucks.
Ramshaw testified Wednesday that she got the sense Khalid was "somewhat of a follower."
"He does not have a history of being a leader by any stretch of the imagination," Ramshaw said.
Under cross-examination, Ramshaw said there was no hard evidence to show that people who joined terror groups were more likely to show signs of emotional disturbance.
She also said her assessment of Khalid's risk to society might have been different had she interviewed him immediately after the offences took place.
Khalid's sentencing hearing continues Thursday.
