Conservative MPs are calling on the House public safety committee to investigate the case of a father and son in Toronto charged with multiple terrorism-related offences.
Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi, 62, and his son Mostafa Eldidi, 26, were arrested last month and face a total of nine charges. They face one count each of conspiracy to commit murder for the benefit or at the direction of a terrorist group — namely ISIS, a Sunni Muslim militant organization.
Conservative House leader Andrew Scheer told reporters Tuesday his party has questions about the immigration screening process for both men.
“For Canadians to have confidence in our immigration system, we need to know that in every case, in every application, the due diligence and proper screening is done. Clearly that was not done in this situation and lives were almost lost,” he said.
Conservative House leader Andrew Scheer is calling on the Bloc Québécois and NDP to support a committee recall to investigate the alleged father-son Toronto terror plot. Scheer says the Trudeau government owes Canadians answers on how the duo — who were charged with conspiracy to commit murder for the benefit or at the direction of a terrorist group — were allowed into the country.
The Conservative push for a committee probe comes after Global News reported over the weekend that Ahmad Fouad Mostafa Eldidi had taken part in an assault shown in a video released by ISIS before he immigrated to Canada. Global’s report cites anonymous sources. CBC News hasn’t verified the existence of the video.
A charge sheet does allege that Ahmad Fouad Mostafa Eldidi committed an aggravated assault for the benefit of the Islamic State in 2015 somewhere outside of Canada, but doesn’t offer further details.
When asked Tuesday if he had seen the video for himself, Scheer said he had only seen public reports about the incident.
RCMP Supt. James Parr said during a press conference last week that both men are Canadian citizens. The RCMP later clarified that only the father has Canadian citizenship.
Scheer said he’s not worried about a committee probe interfering with the police investigation or court proceedings and insisted MPs would focus on concerns about Canada’s immigration system.
“For Canadians to find out that their own government let in someone associated with ISIS and granted them citizenship, it’s entirely appropriate for the government to answer for that,” he said.
Scheer said the committee should hear from Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc and government officials who approved Eldidi’s immigration application. He called on the NDP and Bloc Québécois to support the Conservatives’ proposal.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Tuesday that the Eldidis’ case does raise concerns about the immigration system but didn’t say if he would support a probe by the public safety committee.
“We’re going to look at what is the best approach to investigating this. But it is clear that this is something we have to take seriously and we need to find answers for why this happened and how we can prevent it in the future,” Singh told reporters at an unrelated press conference.
CBC News has reached out to LeBlanc, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the Canada Border Services Agency and the Bloc Québécois for comment.
Two men set to appear in court Wednesday
The father and son were arrested on July 28 in a hotel room in Richmond Hill, Ont., after a month-long investigation that involved multiple police services, RCMP say.
The alleged attack was going to target Toronto, Parr said, though the exact nature of the threat falls under a publication ban. Parr said there is no ongoing threat to residents of the city.
The pair also face weapons charges related to possession of an axe and a machete; police say they had the weapons with them at the hotel when they were arrested.
The two men made a brief court appearance last week and are expected back in court on Wednesday.