CBSA unaware of ISIS video allegedly showing father charged in terror plot during screening: official | CBC News

WARNING: This story includes descriptions of graphic violence.

A senior intelligence official with Canada’s border agency says he’s not convinced the system failed when a man who allegedly took part in a violent attack overseas on behalf of ISIS later immigrated to Canada and eventually received citizenship.

“We made the best decisions that we could at that moment in time based on the information we had,” Aaron McCrorie, vice-president of intelligence and enforcement at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), told MPs Wednesday.

“Can we do a better job of collectively gathering some of that information? I don’t know. We need to determine that.”

McCrorie was testifying before the House of Commons public safety and national security committee, which is reviewing the case of 62-year-old Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi and his son Mostafa Eldidi, 26. The Egyptian-born duo were arrested last month and accused of being in the advanced stages of planning a violent attack in Toronto. 

The pair face a total of nine charges including conspiracy to commit murder for the benefit or at the direction of a terrorist group — namely ISIS, a Sunni Muslim militant organization.

The father is also accused of committing aggravated assault in 2015 for the benefit of the Islamic State somewhere outside Canada.

According to a chronology of the events provided to the committee Wednesday morning, the elder Eldidi came to Canada in 2018 and became a citizen in May, not long before his arrest in July. 

Officials told the committee Eldidi underwent multiple national security screenings before he was granted Canadian citizenship earlier this year. The document shows security screening partners “returned a favourable recommendation.”

The son, who does not have citizenship, was also screened, according to the government’s timeline.

The case has raised concerns about Canada’s immigration and screening processes, as well as questions about why the alleged assault in 2015 was not picked up by Canadian authorities. 

Witnesses appearing before the committee Wednesday were repeatedly questioned about a propaganda video that allegedly shows the violent assault. Police have been hesitant to comment on the video, but have confirmed it’s part of their ongoing investigation. 

Ted Gallivan, executive vice-president of CBSA, told the committee the agency only recently obtained the video from the dark web following media reports. The video wasn’t available to officials who were screening the individual, he said.

“We do have checks and balances that work thousands of times a year but we are asking ourselves the same tough questions about were the procedures followed and if they weren’t and didn’t catch this individual, could different procedures catch them in the future,” Gallivan said.

“We’re also asking ourselves about the feasibility of finding a video if you don’t know about it.”

During a heated round of questioning, Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman pushed the CBSA official to explain “where were the failures” in this case.

“I’m not sure there are any failures,” responded McCrorie 

‘No way’ for agencies to know about video: minister 

Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said there was “no way” for the CBSA and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service to know about the video beforehand. 

“These videos on the dark web don’t come with credits at the end and contact information for people in the videos,” he said. 

“The minute CSIS was informed about the existence of this alleged video, I saw up close and in a very reassuring way how rigorous was their investigation, how they had these suspects under the appropriate surveillance to mitigate any risk, and then I was informed that arrests were imminent.”

WATCH | Conservative deputy leader questions public safety minister about Toronto terror suspect 

Conservative deputy leader questions public safety minister about Toronto terror suspect

Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman asks Minister of Public Safety Dominic LeBlanc how a man facing terror-related charges in Toronto was admitted to Canada and obtained citizenship. Members of Parliament on the public safety and national security committee are probing the case of a father and son arrested last month on those charges.

Jihadology.net, a U.S. website that catalogues Islamic State communiqués and propaganda, posted what appears to be the video in question on June 16, 2015 — the same day it appeared on an ISIS-affiliated website. 

CBC News has viewed the four-minute video, which features the interrogation of a bearded prisoner wearing an orange jumpsuit. The video shows the prisoner lit by a bright light and sitting in a cell as he answers questions shouted by someone off camera.

After a section of readings from the Qur’an, the prisoner then appears hoisted on a wooden frame in the desert, bound tightly with load straps. It’s unclear from the video whether the prisoner is alive or dead at this point.

A man dressed all in black, with a cap that features the white Islamic State symbol, then uses a long, square-edged sword to hack at the prisoner’s outstretched limbs. The man’s red-bearded face is briefly visible as the video cuts from one angle of the attack to another.

Conservative MP tells security officials they failed

The committee heard how CSIS found out in June the father may pose a national security threat. Global News has reported it was France that tipped off the Canadians. 

Conservatives pushed back against comments from LeBlanc that the arrest of the two individuals was a success and shows the system is working. 

“You failed in your responsibilities,” Conservative MP Larry Brock told the committee witnesses, which included the interim head of CSIS.

“There by the grace of God and by good French intelligence, they are behind bars where they should be.”

According to the chronology document, when the father met with immigration officials in 2018 “a risk indicator presented on this file that was addressed during the interview.” The document said risk indicators cannot be disclosed “in order to protect the integrity of the immigration screening program.

LeBlanc told reporters he, too, had questions about the mysterious “risk indicator,” but wouldn’t comment further given the ongoing court case.

According to the government’s chronology, the son was first rejected for a study permit in July 2019. Mostafa Eldidi then entered Canada in early 2020 on a U.S. student visa and applied for asylum. He obtained refugee status in July 2022.

Both men made a brief appearance in court Wednesday and set to return next month. There is a standard publication ban on the case.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller, who’s expected to testify before the committee at a later date, has said he’s looking into whether Eldidi’s citizenship should be revoked, 

The minister said he’s also ordered his deputy minister to review the timeline of events including what was known and when.

“I’m as disgusted as any Canadian,” Miller said earlier this month. “Canadians deserve answers.”