OTTAWA – Mohamed Harkat, the Ottawa man accused of being an al-Qaida sleeper agent, ran a guest house in the early 1990s in Peshawar, Pakistan that was used by "mujahedeen (holy warriors) and other extremists on their way to and from training camps in Afghanistan," according to new information from CSIS.
Harkat, 41, who was known as Abu Muslim, was also an "active jihadist" in Peshawar in the service of Ibn al Khattab, who was considered a terrorist.
The information was released in a hearing in Federal Court on Monday to determine if the government was right to detain Harkat five years ago under a security certificate. The former pizza delivery man simply wants to clear his name.
"I hope that one day justice will prevail," Harkat said in an interview. "I’m innocent from these allegations so I hope for justice one day."
Harkat, who was released from custody on strict conditions in May 2006, is also expected to take the witness stand in his own defence. He has always denied any connection to terrorism.
CSIS alleges that Harkat served as a soldier in Afghanistan during the early 1990s and has links to groups associated with al-Qaida, including the Algerian GIA and the Egyptian Islamic Group.
Harkat claimed political asylum in Canada in 1995.
Harkat’s defence has not yet had the opportunity to contest this new evidence.
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