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http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060529/csis_terrorists_060529
There are domestic Canadian terrorists capable of carrying out terror attacks like the ones on London's transit system in 2005, says a senior CSIS official.
"I can tell you that all of the circumstances that led to the London transit bombings . . . are resident here and now in Canada,'' Jack Hooper, operations director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, told a Senate committee on Monday.
"When we talk about the homegrown terrorist phenomenon, these are people ... in most instances who are Canadian citizens," he said. "You can't remove them anywhere.
"Most of them are very young. A lot of them were born here. A lot of them who were not born here emigrated to Canada with their parents at a very young age."
Hooper didn't give specifics on the estimated numbers of such potential threats or where they were located. He didn't take questions from reporters after the hearing.
Sen. Colin Kenny, who chairs the committee, said Britain's trauma of last support shows what could happen here.
"They'd been born in country," he said.
"They had all of the slang and comfort with the culture that you and I have, and yet, boom, here they are committing terrorist acts."
The July 7, 2005 attacks killed 52 civilians and four militants. The attackers detonated bombs on three subway cars and one of London's double-decker buses.
"It's a huge challenge to the police and the security forces to find them, to have a broad enough net to catch them. And so far I haven't heard anyone give us a good handle on how they can deal with it."
The committee was holding a day of hearings on Canada's role in Afghanistan and how it relates to domestic security.
Conservative Sen. Michael Meighen asked Hooper and RCMP Giuliano Zaccardelli to connect the dots between what happens abroad and the domestic terror threat.
"The ordinary Canadian at Tim Hortons doesn't get it, in the sense that they don't seem to perceive the threat to themselves and their families and to their communities the same way you two gentlemen do," he said.
Zaccardelli said failed states allow terror organizations and organized criminals to thrive.
"When we can help these countries help themselves, we are actually helping Canada," he said. "I strongly believe it is a good investment."
Hooper gave examples of some Canadians who trained in al Qaeda terror camps that existed before 2001.
He also said there are several examples of Canadians who have committed terror attacks elsewhere.
There are domestic Canadian terrorists capable of carrying out terror attacks like the ones on London's transit system in 2005, says a senior CSIS official.
"I can tell you that all of the circumstances that led to the London transit bombings . . . are resident here and now in Canada,'' Jack Hooper, operations director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, told a Senate committee on Monday.
"When we talk about the homegrown terrorist phenomenon, these are people ... in most instances who are Canadian citizens," he said. "You can't remove them anywhere.
"Most of them are very young. A lot of them were born here. A lot of them who were not born here emigrated to Canada with their parents at a very young age."
Hooper didn't give specifics on the estimated numbers of such potential threats or where they were located. He didn't take questions from reporters after the hearing.
Sen. Colin Kenny, who chairs the committee, said Britain's trauma of last support shows what could happen here.
"They'd been born in country," he said.
"They had all of the slang and comfort with the culture that you and I have, and yet, boom, here they are committing terrorist acts."
The July 7, 2005 attacks killed 52 civilians and four militants. The attackers detonated bombs on three subway cars and one of London's double-decker buses.
"It's a huge challenge to the police and the security forces to find them, to have a broad enough net to catch them. And so far I haven't heard anyone give us a good handle on how they can deal with it."
The committee was holding a day of hearings on Canada's role in Afghanistan and how it relates to domestic security.
Conservative Sen. Michael Meighen asked Hooper and RCMP Giuliano Zaccardelli to connect the dots between what happens abroad and the domestic terror threat.
"The ordinary Canadian at Tim Hortons doesn't get it, in the sense that they don't seem to perceive the threat to themselves and their families and to their communities the same way you two gentlemen do," he said.
Zaccardelli said failed states allow terror organizations and organized criminals to thrive.
"When we can help these countries help themselves, we are actually helping Canada," he said. "I strongly believe it is a good investment."
Hooper gave examples of some Canadians who trained in al Qaeda terror camps that existed before 2001.
He also said there are several examples of Canadians who have committed terror attacks elsewhere.
