TRENTON, Canada
The alleged plot by a Pakistani man to blow up several buildings in Toronto, including the U.S. consulate, was made public by Canadian officials on Wednesday.
Jhanzab Malik, 34, was arrested March 9 by the Canada Border Services Agency, or CBSA, on suspicion of “engaging in terrorism and being a danger to national security.”
In speaking to reporters Wednesday, Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney termed Malik “a supporter of the Islamic State,” referring to the terror group also known as ISIL and Daesh.
“This individual was also promoting jihadi ideology,” he said.
Officials with the CBSA said Malik, who arrived in Canada on a student visa in 2004, displayed a “violent and extremist mindset.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, he was being held in custody as the government moved to have him deported. He has not been charged with any criminal offenses.
His hearing began Wednesday before the Immigration and Refugee Board tribunal where members were told counterterrorist agents launched an investigation against Malik last September, Canadian media reported.
This followed his questioning by border guards after his arrival at Toronto’s Pearson Airport from Libya in 2013. Malik said he had been teaching in Libya and visiting Saudi Arabia for a few months.
Officials allowed him into Canada because he was a permanent resident, but it is now believed he was training at a terrorism camp in Libya, CTV News reported.
He was tagged as a potential threat last week.
During the tribunal hearing, Jessica Lourenco of the immigration ministry said Malik told an undercover officer that he wanted to detonate a bomb at the U.S. consulate in Toronto, or in the downtown financial district.
“Mass destruction or possibly the loss of life would have been the result,” she said.
Lourenco also said Malik showed the undercover agent videos of Daesh killing and sometimes beheading captives.
The Globe and Mail newspaper said it was unclear why the government plans to deport Malik rather than charge him under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
He is being held without bail.
