Toronto Terror Plot Foiled

from CNN

Canadian police halted a real and serious terror threat in and around Toronto. Twelve men and five youths said to have been inspired by al Qaeda were arrested in the operation involving hundreds of officers.

The group was planning to commit a series of terrorist attacks against solely Canadian targets in southern Ontario. The group took steps to acquire three tons of ammonium nitrate and other components necessary to create explosive devices. To put this in context, the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City that killed 168 people took one ton of ammonium nitrate.

The detained suspects are all males, Canadian residents from a variety of backgrounds and followers of a violent ideology inspired by al Qaeda. The adults ranged in age from 19 to 43, and all lived in Ontario. No information was released on the youths.

The charges they face include participating in terrorist group activity such as training and recruitment; the provision of property for terrorist purposes; and the commission of indictable offenses, including firearms and explosives in association with a terrorist group.

The targets were all in Toronto. Authorities did not release information on targets except to say they did not include the Toronto Transit Commission.