http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060612/ts_nm/security_canada_dc;_ylt=AtzZWZzbI6 zdprCRK_PA9Vxg.3QA;_ylu=X3oDMTA3b2NibDltBHNlYwM3MTY-
Canada terror suspects have no chance of fair trial: lawyer By Rachelle Younglai and Natalie Armstrong 12 minutes ago Seventeen men accused of planning al Qaeda-inspired attacks across densely populated southern Ontario stand no chance of a fair trial after prejudicial comments from police and the intelligence community, one of their lawyers said on Monday. Lawyer Rocco Galati also complained of tough prison conditions and oppressive security at the Brampton courtroom, where most of the 17 suspects are to appear. He said lawyers had inadequate access to their clients, who are all Canadian citizens or residents. Police allege the group plotted to detonate massive bombs at targets that included the Parliament buildings in Ottawa and the Stock Exchange in downtown Toronto. Defense lawyers have said police and intelligence officials also claim one of the suspects wanted to behead the Canadian prime minister. "All these actions by the police and politicians are completely unheard of in a real criminal case," Galati told reporters outside the court. Galati, who has made a name for himself by representing another Canadian allegedly linked to al Qaeda, added: "All this has completely undermined and obliterated the rule of law and turned -- in the last 10 days -- this court room into a police or army barracks." He said the oppressive prison conditions included holding the suspects in rooms with lights on 24 hours a day, giving them just five minutes to eat and forcing them to keep their eyes on the ground and not speak to guards. Security at the suburban courthouse has included bomb sniffing dogs, police snipers and heavily armed officers inside and outside the courthouse. Galati said that, coupled with a lack of private access to their lawyers and declarations of their guilt by politicians and some media, made a fair trial all but impossible. The group of 17 Muslim men, five of them under the age of 18, was arrested on June 2 in Canada's largest counterterrorism operation. All are charged with participating in a terrorist organization, and some are charged with plotting bombings in major Canadian cities and training militants. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police say the men took steps to acquire three tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer that can be mixed with fuel oil to produce a powerful explosive. That's more fertilizer than was used to build the 1995 Oklahoma City bomb that killed 168 people. Other charges include trying to build bombs and training, or being trained, as terrorists, court documents say. On Monday, 14 of the 17 suspects were to appear in court to set bail hearings. One suspect has already had a bail hearing set for July 4 and two were already in jail on weapons charges. "Discredited is the notion that the authorities are intent on conducting a fair criminal trial with an impartial process" Galati said. "Discredited is also the notion that this anything but a show trial for political ends, to manufacture denial of bail, to ensure a fair trial does not occur and to influence the vote in the House of Commons on extending the anti-terrorism provision and to influence the Supreme Court of Canada in its constitutional review of anti-terrorism provisions." The Supreme Court holds two days of hearings this week to rule on the constitutionality of laws that allow foreign terrorism suspects to be held for long periods without trial. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get to your groups with one click. 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