True North

A minor in Kingston, Ontario has been charged with terrorism-related activities after two raids by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police last Thursday.

The individual, who cannot be named due to his age, has been charged with “facilitating terrorism” and planning to “deliver, place, discharge or detonate an explosive or other lethal devices against a place of public use with the intent to cause death or serious bodily injury.”

A second person, identified by his family as 20-year old Hussam Eddin Alzahabi, was arrested but later released without charges.

Police say Alzahabi was a friend of the accused minor.

Alzahabi, originally from Syria, came to Canada as refugees in 2016 and was sponsored by four local Kingston churches.

Alzahabi’s father has denied that his son had any involvement in terrorism.

“It’s fake news about my son,” his father told CBC.

“I trust my son. I know he cannot do anything against any human, humanity.”

Ward Elcock, a former CSIS director, told Global News that the FBI tip that led to the arrest points to an international conspiracy to commit terrorism.

“It suggests that somebody from Kingston had contacted somebody in the United States or potentially somebody in the United States had contacted somebody in Kingston,” Elcock said.

The RCMP would not comment on potential motives of the accused — including whether he was radicalized or if he was in communication with any foreign elements.

While the RCMP says no one was in immediate danger, officers amassed enough evidence to raid two Kingston homes and make arrests. In the course of these raids, police recovered trace materials from explosives.

Police did a controlled demolition of a device Friday morning. Investigators say there was not yet a target location for an attack.

The RCMP says it has “extinguished” any threat.

The investigation started with a “credible” tip from the FBI, RCMP Superintendent Peter Lambertucci said at a Friday press conference. Multiple agencies were involved, ranging from local and provincial police to CSIS and department of finance officials who monitor possible financial crimes.

While thousands of illegal border crossers pour into Canada with no ramifications, a Canadian Veteran who has been trying for six years to help an Afghan ally escape to a safer country has run out of options.

Abdul, who goes by the name James,  spent many years working side-by-side with Canadian soldiers as a translator. James’ commitment to assist the Canadian Armed Forces saved countless lives, according to Canadian soldiers who served in Afghanistan.

James now fears for his own life and the safety of his family.

Robin Rickards, who served three tours in Afghanistan during his 11 years with the Canadian Armed Forces, spoke in detail about James and the work he did to aide Canadian soldiers.

“It’s been a case of James having to be exceedingly cautious in the way he goes about his day-to-day life,” Rickards explained.

Rickards, a Thunder Bay native, told his local radio station that he believes Canada has a moral responsibility to help him.

“There are mothers in Canada who are not grieving because of the work James did.”

Despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s open invitation to the world’s migrants and allowing thousands illegally walk into Canada, the Canadian government has so far done nothing to help James.

In Afghanistan, people who worked for the coalition that liberated the country from the Taliban in 2001 are often perceived as traitors by extremists in Afghanistan.

Since the Trudeau government was elected in 2015, Rickards says he is no closer to getting James to Canada.

“Unfortunately, although there has been more communication, the outcome has been exactly the same.”

Canada has taken in thousands who crossed into Canada illegally from the US, a safe country, but meanwhile has done little to help Afghan interpreters who are now suffering specifically because they helped our Canadian soldiers.

While James hides in Afghanistan, illegal border crossers receive the red carpet treatment by the Canadian government – including free healthcare, free accommodation various government handouts.

John McCallum has been fired.

“Last night I asked for and accepted John McCallum’s resignation as Canada’s Ambassador to China,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement on the heels of McCallum’s about-face on comments made about Canada’s diplomatic stand-off with China.

Although there was not a specific reason given for McCallum’s firing, the former Liberal immigration minister has had a tumultuous few days.

Last week in Markham, Ont., McCallum hosted a press conference that only Chinese-language journalists were allowed to attend.

McCallum was quoted saying Meng Wanzhou, an executive at the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, had a strong case to fight extradition to the United States and listed several arguments he thought could help her with her case.

McCallum appeared to agree with the communist Chinese government’s narrative that Meng was arrested for political reasons.

“I think she has quite good arguments on her side,” McCallum told Chinese media at the closed-door meeting.

Despite the planned press conference and prepared remarks, McCallum later said he misspoke with those statements when confronted by national media outlets.

Conservative leader Andrew Scheer said the comments merited McCallum’s dismissal, prompting a defense from Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland.

“Here we have the spokesperson of the Government of Canada weighing in on an independent judicial case. Our judicial systems, our proceedings, need to have integrity around it,” Scheer said.

“To have this type of comment is completely unacceptable and he needs to be held responsible for his actions.”

It seemed like McCallum was in the clear, and was still the prime minister’s good books.

However, a few days later he told a reporter it would be “great” if the United States dropped its case against Meng.

“From Canada’s point of view, if (the US) drops the extradition request, that would be great for Canada,” he said.

McCallum’s latest remarks in support of the communist Chinese government was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Shortly after, McCallum was fired.

Meng is currently out on bail — living in her luxurious Vancouver home with freedom of movement during the day.

In retaliation, the Chinese government arrested several Canadians shortly after she was taken into custody, depriving them of the right to a lawyer.

One of these Canadians, Robert Schellenberg, was sentenced to death in a hastily organized retrial.

The US Department of Justice is expected to a file a formal request to extradite Meng by the end of the month.