Third arrested in VIA Rail terror plot 'radicalized' Canadian suspect: FBI

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Third arrested in VIA Rail terror plot 'radicalized' Canadian suspect: FBI
By Matthew Coutts | Daily Brew – Thu, 9 May, 2013

A former Canadian resident has been charged in New York by state authorities on Thursday in connection to a plot to derail a passenger train outside of Toronto.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced that Ahmed Abassi, a Tunisian citizen, has been charged with fraudulently applying for a U.S. work visa in order to remain in the country to facilitate an act of terror.

The alleged act of terror in question was a plot to derail a VIA Rail passenger train as it travelled between Toronto and New York.

The RCMP arrested two men, Chiheb Esseghaier and Raed Jaser, on April 22 and charged them in the alleged plot. The RCMP said the suspects had scouted railroads in the Toronto area as part of their preparations.

The pair had been under investigation for an extended period of time before their arrests. According to the FBI, it was Abassi who originally radicalized Esseghaier before he was arrested in Montreal.

During his first court appearance Esseghaier dismissed the charges against him and said Canada’s laws were not written by God and therefore imperfect.

(SNIP)

The FBI said the plot was foiled when he and Esseghaier shared the details of their plan with an undercover FBI agent, who captured the discussion on an audio recording.

According to the allegations against Abassi, the suspect spoke with an undercover agent about recruiting others to participate in terrorist plots. He suggested he could stay in the country and work at the undercover officer's business as a cover to recruit for terrorist attacks

HOORAY FOR THE RCMP!!!