One member of an alleged al-Qaeda-inspired terror ring arrested in Canada last weekend faces the accusation that he sought to behead Prime Minister Stephen Harper, his lawyer said today.
The man, Steven Chand (25), was among 15 members of the alleged ring who appeared in a heavily guarded courtroom northwest of Toronto yesterday to set dates for bail hearings.
"There's an allegation apparently that my client personally indicated that he wanted to behead the prime minister of Canada," Mr Chand's lawyer, Gary Batasar, told reporters.
Canadian police arrested 17 Muslim men, five of whom are under the age of 18, on Friday and Saturday in Canada's largest counterterrorism operation. Several of them are charged with plotting bombings in major Canadian cities and training militants. Police said more arrests are possible.
Mr Batasar said his client faces several serious charges and said he was concerned that intense media interest in the details of the case in Canada and the United States could jeopardize Mr Chand's chances of a fair trial.
According to a synopsis of charges that Mr Batasar said he saw, members of the group are alleged to have considered plans to take hostages and to attack the Canadian parliament in Ottawa with the aim of trying to force the government to withdraw Canadian troops from Afghanistan.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. building in Toronto and power grids were also alleged targets, he said.
The accused men, wearing white T-shirts and gray sweat pants, were escorted into the small courtroom a few at a time, shackled together. About 20 family members sat together while more than two dozen others, mostly media, crammed inside.