REFILE-UPDATE 1-Police make Toronto airport "terrorism" arrest :Toronto man arrested on terrorism-related charges

REFILE-UPDATE 1-Police make Toronto airport "terrorism" arrest

Terror arrest at airport highlights risk of al-Qaida-style

A Toronto man arrested Tuesday on terrorism charges remains in custody after making a brief appearance in a Brampton courtroom this morning.Mohamed Hersi, 25, was remanded until Friday, when a special bail hearing will be scheduled, likely for next Wednesday or Thursday.“They’ve got the wrong person,” Hersi’s brother, Yassim, said outside the courtroom. He said his brother had recently graduated from health science studies at the University of Toronto’s Scarborough campus.

Federal Crown attorney Iona Jaffe told the court that Hersi has been charged with attempting to participate in a terrorist activity and providing counsel to a person to participate in a terrorist activity.Hersi wore a leather-sleeved jacket over a gray hoodie and blue jeans. His hands were handcuffed.
He wasn’t represented by a lawyer.A woman identified as his mother and an uncle also attended the five-minute court appearance.Jaffe said Hersi was arrested on Tuesday night at Pearson International Airport.“The investigation is still very much on going,” Jaffe told the court. “A number of items were seized and are being analyzed...”At a news conference Wednesday, RCMP investigator Keith Finn said the suspect was arrested just prior to boarding an international flight, without incident. RCMP believe the suspect was bound for Cairo, with a connection in London, England, then headed to Somalia, allegedly to take part in terrorist activities.
While releasing few details about what items were seized, superintendent Tom Fitzgerald, unit commander with the Toronto police intelligence division, hinted that there was “a particularly important piece of evidence” that will be revealed in due process in court.Police suspect the man was planning to join Al Shabaab, the Somali-based movement that has been designated a terrorist group in both the U.S. and Canada.The RCMP said it began the investigation in October in partnership with the Toronto Police Service’s Intelligence Division.Finn said there was nothing in the investigation that would suggest a direct threat to Canada, but that police are concerned about “domestic radicalization.”Toronto Star
viaThe Jawa Report: Canada: Man Arrested on Terrorism Related Charges ...

CTV Toronto - RCMP allege Toronto man was joining Somali terror