If the RCMP and CSIS have in fact uncovered a major terrorist plot, kudos to them for a job well done.

But caution is advised until all the facts are known.

Before we rush to judgment, it's worth remembering the 19 foreign students, mostly from Pakistan, arrested in 2003 in and around Toronto, allegedly for plotting to blow up the nuclear reactors at Pickering or the CN Tower.

After a huge media uproar and lurid claims the charges were dropped and the accused deported for visa irregularities.

The Bush administration wants Canada to get tough on a wide assortment of Muslim groups and individuals protesting U.S. policy in the Muslim world.

These raids by hundreds of Canadian security officers and police against a relatively small number of mostly young Muslim suspects in Mississauga, Toronto and Kingston suggest this high-profile operation may have been designed as much for public relations and diplomatic reasons as national security. No doubt, Washington will be very pleased with Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

But not everyone accused is always guilty.

It's possible that among the 12 adults and five minors charged, Canadian security organizations have rounded up some loud-mouthed teenagers who have been encouraged to sedition by government "agents provocateurs."

We won't know what really happened until the accused go to court. It appears an FBI investigation last month into a group of American Muslims from Atlanta who went to Toronto and met co-religionists there led to the current arrests.
http://www.torontosun.com/News/Colum...14071-sun.html

FBI and Canadian authorities believe they have uncovered an important terrorist cell plotting major attacks in Canada and the U.S. But the FBI's track record to date has not been impressive. Recall that of the more than 2,000 Muslims arrested in the U.S. since 2001 for suspicion of terrorism, less than 15 were convicted, and those mostly for minor visa offenses.

In any event, by sending combat troops to Afghanistan, Canada has declared itself an active participant in the U.S.-led war against Islamic militancy. As a result, Canadians must now expect what CIA veterans refer to as "blow-back."