The investigation that resulted in the arrests of two Toronto men accused of plotting an attack for ISIS began with a tip from France, sources have told Global News.
French authorities allegedly became aware of at least one of the suspects and notified Canada’s intelligence service.
Following a brief investigation, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service called in the RCMP, which conducted its own probe and arrested the father and son on July 28.
The suspects were “in the advanced stages of planning a serious, violent attack in Toronto” when they were taken into custody at a hotel room north of the city, the RCMP said.
Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi, 62, and Mostafa Eldidi, 26, have been charged with terrorism, possession of weapons and conspiracy to commit murder for the so-called Islamic State.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
But the case has raised questions about immigration security screening, since the father was also charged with an ISIS-related aggravated assault that allegedly occurred abroad in 2015.
Sources have claimed the charge stemmed from the mistreatment of a prisoner before the elder Eldidi immigrated to Canada. The incident allegedly involved a 2015 video showing a man dismembering a prisoner with a sword, the sources said.
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A video similar to the one described by investigators shows a middle-aged man, wearing a hat marked with the ISIS logo, hacking the hands and feet off a man suspended from a pole.
The propaganda footage was released by an ISIS branch in Iraq in 2015. A copy was posted on the website Jihadology, run by Aaron Zelin, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute.
The Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security voted Tuesday to call ministers to testify at hearings about the suspects’ immigration histories.
In an unanimous vote, committee members opted to launch hearings as soon as possible, and to summon the heads of the RCMP, CSIS and Canada Border Services Agency as witnesses.
“This is a colossal failure and we need answers,” said Frank Caputo, a Conservative member of the committee.
Police have said the elder Eldidi is now a Canadian citizen. While the RCMP initially also identified the son as a Canadian, officials later clarified he is not. The country of his citizenship remains unclear.
“We have every indication and every intent to share as much information as we can, with the caveat that we don’t want to do anything to harm the ongoing case,” said Liberal committee member Jennifer O’Connell.
The target of the alleged disrupted terrorism plot remains unknown, but it has served as a reminder that ISIS remains a threat five years after it was defeated in Syria in 2019.
Last week, an alleged plot to attack a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna was thwarted when police arrested a 19-year-old ISIS supporter they said was radicalized online.
How the Eldidi matter came to the attention of French investigators remains unclear.
European counter-terrorism authorities have been responding to multiple threats from ISIS, some focused around the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, which ended on the weekend.
CSIS declined to comment on France’s alleged role in helping Canada stop the alleged Toronto plot.
“While CSIS has formal relationships with many domestic and foreign partners, we do not comment on the nature of our reporting, investigations, methodologies or activities in order to maintain the integrity of our operations,” said spokesperson John Townsend.