Canadian terrorist plot by father and son foiled after tip from French intelligence: Source

Authorities say that the suspects were 'in the advance states of planning a serious violent attack in Toronto' when they were arrested in a hotel room north of the city.

Canadian terrorist plot by father and son foiled after tip from French intelligence: Source
The Canadian Press / Alexandra Newbould
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The arrest of two Toronto men accused of plotting a terror attack kicked off after a tip from French authorities, sources say.

Global News reports that French intelligence agencies became aware of at least one of the suspects and notified Canadian intelligence services.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) would go on to call the RCMP, which would conduct its own investigation and go on to arrest the suspects, a father-son duo who resided in the Greater Toronto Area on July 28.

Authorities say that the suspects were “in the advance states of planning a serious violent attack in Toronto” when they were arrested in a hotel room north of the city.

Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi, 62, and Mostafa Eldidi, 26, have been charged with terrorism, possession of weapons and conspiracy to commit murder on behalf of the Islamic State.

The allegations are yet to have been proven in court, though the case has already raised several concerns regarding Canada’s immigration security screening, as the father is also being charged with an ISIS-related aggravated assault that allegedly occurred abroad in 2015.

Sources believe that the charge is related to the torture of a prisoner by Eldidi. The incident allegedly involved a video that depicts a man being dismembered with a sword in 2015, sources say.

A video similar to the one described by investigators depicts a middle-aged man, wearing a hat emblazoned with the ISIS logo, severing the hands and feet of a man suspended from a pole.

This propaganda footage was released by an ISIS branch in Iraq in 2015, and a copy was later posted on the website Jihadology, operated by Aaron Zelin, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute.

The Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security has voted to call on ministers to testify at hearings regarding the duo’s immigration histories.

Members voted unanimously to launch hearings as soon as possible and to summon the heads of the RCMP, CSIS, and the Canadian Border Services Agency as witnesses.

“This is a colossal failure and we need answers,” said Conservative MP and committee member Frank Caputo.

CSIS did not comment on France’s role in aiding in the investigation.

“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.

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