A joint investigation between American and Canadian law enforcement agencies has culminated with the arrest of two men in Canada for allegedly plotting to bomb a commuter train. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police [RCMP] announced the arrests of Chiheb Esseghaier and Raed Jaser, who live in the Montreal and Toronto areas, respectively. Investigators say the two suspects, who are not Canadian citizens, conspired to carry out a terrorist attack against a VIA passenger train, which has routes that connect to NYC.
"While the RCMP believed that these individuals had the capacity and intent to carry out these criminal acts, there was no imminent threat to the general public, rail employees, train passengers or infrastructure," the RCMP said in a statement. At a press conference today, officials accused the men of monitoring trains to plot an attack on a train inside Canada. The two men allegedly received support from al-Qaeda operatives in Iran.
Esseghaier, 30, and Jaser, 35, have been charged with conspiracy to carry out a terrorist attack and "conspiring to murder persons unknown for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a terrorist group." Canadian officials said that there were no links between the two suspects and the Boston Marathon bombing suspects. "We are alleging that these two individuals took steps and conducted activities to initiate a terrorist attack," Chief Supt. Jennifer Strachan told reporters at a press conference today, stressing that the attack was "not imminent."
Strachan also said that the two suspects had a specific train route that they allegedly intended to target, but she declined to reveal which route was allegedly being targeted. Sources say they've been under surveillance for a year.
