Raed Jaser’s Appeal Denied in Via Rail Terror Plot Conviction

One of the two men convicted of terrorism charges in a plot to derail a passenger train between Canada and the U.S. had his conviction and life sentence upheld by Ontario’s highest court.

Raed Jaser challenged the outcome of the 2015 trial on various grounds, including his request for a separate trial from his co-accused, Chiheb Esseghaier, which was denied twice.

Mr. Esseghaier, representing himself, refused to fully participate in the trial proceedings, stating he would only be judged by the Qur’an and having several disruptive outbursts in court.

On appeal, Mr. Jaser argued that the joint trial compromised the fairness of the proceedings, but the Court of Appeal for Ontario disagreed in a unanimous ruling, stating that the trial judge’s decisions were reasonable and legally sound.

The court also dismissed Mr. Jaser’s other arguments raised on appeal.

Ontario’s Appeal Court previously ordered a new trial for Mr. Jaser and Mr. Esseghaier in 2019 due to jury selection issues, but the Supreme Court of Canada later ruled their trial fair despite the error.

While Mr. Esseghaier abandoned his appeal, Mr. Jaser proceeded with his and sought leave to appeal his sentence, which was ultimately rejected by the court.