Al-Qaida suspects in T.O.
Immigration let 12 go due to lack of space
December 2, 2001
By TOM GODFREY -- Toronto Sun
Canadian immigration officers say a lack of detention space forced them to release a dozen men into the Toronto area who are suspected of having links to al-Qaida terrorists.
Immigration officers say they had to release about 500 undocumented refugee claimants of the estimated 1,000 who showed in November at Pearson airport seeking refugee status.
With no spots available at the immigration holding centre near Pearson, or area jails, the refugees had to be released, officers say. Among those, the RCMP and CSIS said, were a dozen men suspected by police of having ties -- or information about -- al-Qaida terrorists.
Police have stepped up their search for the dozen, who arrived from the Middle East and did not return their mail-in refugee kits after clearing immigration. The kits ask claimants if they've ever been a head of state, belonged to a military or spy apparatus, been in jail or had membership in a terrorist group in their homeland. Officers said most claimants answer "no" to the questions.
POLICE DATABANKS
Police said the men, aged 18-35, never reported to addresses given to airport authorities and did not show up at welfare offices to obtain benefit cheques. Their names have been placed in police and immigration databanks. The men are sought for questioning for possible links to terror mastermind Osama bin Laden and other suspected al-Qaida terrorists, including Parkdale refugee claimant Nabil Al-Marabh, who's been charged for terrorism-related offences in the U.S.
Meanwhile, front-line customs and immigration officers said the record number of claimants they're processing from the Middle East and other countries may be due to the aftermath of Sept. 11, or people trying to beat new immigration laws next year.
CSIS agents at the airport have been questioning many of the claimants, fearing some could be al-Qaida fighters or family members of Taliban leaders sent here to seek refuge.
Officers said a record 60 claimants touched down on Tuesday, about 50 on Wednesday and more than 35 on Friday night. Officers are being moved from their regular duties, or working overtime, to process the claimants.
"We are getting swamped," an airport worker said yesterday. "We are trying to keep our head above water."
NO DOCUMENTS
Immigration officers spoke on the condition that their names not be released, fearing repercussions from the department.
An immigration spokesman confirmed as many as 40% of claimants arriving at Pearson have no documents. They are fingerprinted and released, but police checks may take weeks because of a backlog. Immigration spokesman Giovanna Gatti said last week a team of officers has been meeting planes at Pearson to halt the smuggling of claimants.
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