Minister: Suspect in Toronto Terror Plot Arrived in Canada in 2018 and Became Citizen in 2024
According to officials, one of the two men accused of planning a terrorist attack in Toronto arrived in Canada in 2018 and applied for asylum after being denied a visitor visa. His arrest occurred after he obtained Canadian citizenship.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc presented a timeline of the immigration process for Ahmed Eldidi and Mostafa Eldidi, who were both charged with terrorism offenses by the RCMP in July, to MPs on Aug. 28.
LeBlanc shared the chronology with the House of Commons public safety committee as part of their investigation into the alleged ISIS-linked plot involving the Eldidis, aiming to uncover how they were allowed into Canada.
Regarding Mostafa Eldidi’s immigration details, they were not clearly outlined in the committee discussion. However, it was revealed that Ahmed Eldidi’s initial visitor visa application in 2017 was unsuccessful.
Deputy Minister of Immigration Harpreet S. Kochhar informed the committee that he was unaware of the reason for the visa denial but confirmed it was not due to a security concern.
After his visa rejection, Ahmed Eldidi arrived at Toronto Pearson International Airport in February 2018 and later applied for asylum in June of the same year.
Ahmed Eldidi was granted permanent residency in September 2021 and citizenship in May 2024, shortly before being apprehended with bladed weapons. The RCMP stated that he and his son were actively planning a severe violent attack in Toronto, leading to terrorism-related charges against both of them.
ISIS Video
The father additionally faces a charge of aggravated assault, potentially related to his involvement in an ISIS propaganda video from 2015 outside Canada, where he reportedly dismembered a prisoner with a sword. These allegations have not been verified in court.
RCMP Deputy Commissioner Bryan Larkin declined to comment on the video, citing the ongoing legal proceedings and investigation.
CBSA Executive Vice-President Ted Gallivan confirmed that the CBSA recently acquired a copy of the video from the dark web, although it was not available during Ahmed Eldidi’s screening process.
He mentioned that they are reviewing past screenings for procedural adjustments and criticized the government for permitting someone associated with an ISIS video into Canada.
Tory Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman challenged LeBlanc on the security screening system’s failure, to which he defended the actions taken by CSIS and the RCMP upon receiving threat-related information.
The minister highlighted the effective work of law enforcement in thwarting the threat and the timeline of awareness and subsequent arrests related to the case.
CSIS alerted Leblanc of the potential threat in June and further updates on July 24, leading to arrests on July 28 in Richmond Hill, north of Toronto.
In response to questions about the source of intelligence, LeBlanc declined to confirm any foreign involvement, emphasizing the confidentiality of intelligence sources.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller is scheduled to provide testimony to the committee at a later session.
