Fearing his days were 'numbered' and his arrest imminent, the alleged ringleader of a homegrown terror cell wanted to forge ahead and build explosives to carry out a 'mission' that included an attack on Ottawa, a Brampton court was told yesterday.
'I'm just gonna go all out with the mission call, man, like fully all out,' he is overheard saying in an electronic intercept. 'If we had more money, guy, I would have just strapped up, like, as many people as possible. ... 'Cause this is tense.'
The tension had been mounting since he'd learned that two American associates were arrested on terrorism-related charges. It was just a matter of time before police moved in on him, he suspected.
That's why, on April 25, 2006 the alleged ringleader of the Toronto 18 spoke of preparing explosives destined for Ottawa with Mubin Shaikh, a police informant he believed was a co-conspirator in the plot. The explosives could be built within a week out of fuel containers filled with broken glass, nails, metal filings and ball bearings. He said he needed five guys for the mission. ...
He went on to reveal that the Americans were planning to attack the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, adding, 'That's pure airborne, man.'
Fearing their arrest would lead police to his doorstep, the alleged ringleader told Shaikh, 'My days are numbered.'...
