MONTREAL – A Federal Court judge said Thursday morning she will lift the security certificate and all conditions under which Adil Charkaoui has been living since 2003.
Charkaoui’s supporters in the packed courtroom, including his parents, cried at the surprise announcement.
The Moroccan-born permanent resident and father of three has been living under a cloud of suspicion since being targeted by the federal government as being a terrorist.
In July, the government admitted that the evidence against Charkaoui was insufficient, after withdrawing all the wiretap evidence in April.
Charkaoui has been fighting to clear his name since his arrest, imprisonment, release from jail and being forced to live under restrictive bail conditions, including wearing an electronic tracking device. He has been wearing the device on his ankle since being released from prison in February 2005.
The security certificate is a rarely used tool under immigration law that allows authorities to arrest non-citizens and not reveal any of the evidence against them. If a federal judge finds the certificate reasonable, the person in question may be deported.
Four other men in Ontario – all Muslims – are also under security certificates.
More details to follow.
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