...born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad

The Crown’s loose cannon: Much of the Crown’s case against the alleged Toronto jihadis revolves around the testimony of an imam who was paid a whack of dough to infiltrate a jihadi summer camp and snitch on the miscreants. As Dr. Phil might say, “How’s that workin’ for you, Crown? As the Crown would be forced to reply under the circumstances—the circumstances being that their star witness has turned out to be an untrustworthy buffoon—"Not so good." From the Globe and Mail:

An RCMP mole and star witness in a terrorism case defiantly warned prosecutors against attacking him at the coming trials of the 10 key "Toronto 18" suspects.

Police informant Mubin Shaikh said yesterday that he was "nobody's shill." Two weeks earlier, the Crown pounced on him at the trial of a youth on terrorism charges for contradicting statements he had made at a previous hearing.

His warning to prosecutors came outside a Toronto court minutes after he pleaded guilty to threatening a pair of 12-year-old girls in April, 2007, in his Etobicoke neighbourhood.

Mr. Shaikh, a devout Muslim who was paid $300,000 by the RCMP to infiltrate an alleged terrorist cell, said a group of preteens had "swarmed" his two children, and when the group did not back off at his request, he threatened two girls.

Mr. Shaikh pleaded guilty to telling the girls, "Do you know who I am? I'm going to chop off your legs!"

Outside the court, he said the pair had called him "Taliban boy" and "Osama bin Laden" based on his "overtly Islamic appearance" - a prayer cap, long beard and traditional clothing.

"I hear Osama bin Laden a lot, but I'm half the height of Osama bin Laden, so I don't know why people mistake me for him," he said.

The judge gave him a conditional discharge and two related charges of assault were dropped.

After leaving the courtroom, Mr. Shaikh said he was pleased the whole matter was behind him before the trial of the adults accused in the terrorism case begins.

"Everything's cleared, now I can just focus on the adult trial," he said.

In May, 2007, Dennis Edney, defence attorney for the alleged ringleader of the terrorist group, told The Globe and Mail he would consider using the threatening charges to question Mr. Shaikh's integrity as a witness.

Although he testified for five days at the trial of the youth, now 20 years old, last month, the incident was never raised in cross-examination.

The most aggressive questioning he faced came from Crown prosecutor John Neander, who grilled Mr. Shaikh about how much the youth knew about the alleged terrorist plot.

Mr. Shaikh also clarified some of his testimony from the terror trial, saying that the youth and other minors were asked to clean up shell casings and litter at an alleged terrorist training camp to hide evidence, but had been told by the leaders of the group that it was to protect wildlife.

He maintained throughout his testimony that the leaders had "nefarious" intentions, but the youth on trial was kept in the dark about the alleged plot. He said the cross-examination by the Crown caught him off guard.

"... I'm kept in a room and they don't tell me anything. I can't be expected to stick to some script," he said.

"I'm not bought and paid for," he said. "The only script I follow is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God. If the Crown has a problem with that, they can take it up with God."…

Good thinking. At this stage it sounds like God may be the only one who can get their case back on track. Maybe next time authorities should think before taking up a “helpful” imam's offer to lend a hand.

Posted by: scaramouche at 12:44 | link | comments (4)

Comments:

#1  04 July 2008 - 13:32

 

That Crown was a bloody idiot. He should have had a basic understanding of Islam before calling an Islamist as the Crown's star witness. Just watch the entire trials of all remaining 10 Muslims fail.

Anonymous

#2  04 July 2008 - 14:54

 

I think we both thought this guy a little too weird after seeing him at the anti-sharia demonstration at Queen's park. I don't think I would care to build a case around his testimony.

Cyclist

#3  05 July 2008 - 01:40

 

This guy has to be an Islamist plant whose purpose is to ensure that radical Islamists are never charged again for their crimes because they'll never be convicted. The only thing to do with the Islamists is to crush them then flush them.

Anonymous

#4  05 July 2008 - 11:49

 

Just you wait! Canadian authorities WILL figure out a way to shoot themselves in the OTHER foot.

At least the tradition of Canadian government incompetence is being upheld by turncoat Stephen Harper and his Conned Minority Government.

I feel such SHAME when I remember VOTING for Harper. I'll not make THAT mistake again.

Anonymous

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