Sentencing delayed for 'Toronto 18' bomb plotter
A man who pleaded guilty to being part of the "Toronto 18" terrorist bomb plot on city buildings will be sentenced alongside a man considered a leader of the group.
Saad Gaya, 22, who confessed last September in a Brampton, Ont., court to intentionally trying to cause an explosion for a terrorist group, had been scheduled to be sentenced on Wednesday.
But it was announced he will be sentenced Jan. 18 with Zakaria Amara, 24, who also pleaded guilty.
Gaya has apologized for his part in a conspiracy to use truck bombs, calling it a "shameful crime."
Gaya told the court in December he didn't know the intended targets included the Toronto Stock Exchange and the downtown offices of Canada's spy agency, CSIS. He has also claimed that he was assured no one would be injured.
Gaya was arrested in 2006 while unloading bags labelled "ammonium nitrate" from a truck driven by an undercover police officer.
Amara, considered one of the ringleaders of the plot, pleaded guilty in October to knowingly participating in a terrorist group and intending to cause an explosion for the benefit of a terrorist group
In all, 17 men and youths were arrested in the Toronto area in June 2006 and detained following an investigation by CSIS. An 18th person was arrested in August 2006.
4 convictions
The suspects faced charges that included participating in a terrorist group, receiving training from a terrorist group, providing such training and intending to cause an explosion that could cause serious bodily harm or death.
The offences allegedly took place between March and June 2006 in Mississauga, Ont., and a rural township near Orillia, Ont. The Crown alleges that the group's potential targets were the CN Tower, the Toronto Stock Exchange and the CSIS office.
Four adults have been convicted for their role in plot. Another suspect — a minor at the time of his arrest — was tried under youth justice laws and convicted of conspiring to bomb several targets.
Seven of the 18 people arrested have since had their charges dropped or stayed. Six others are in custody awaiting trial.