Today, Saad Gaya and Zakaria Amara were sentenced for participating in a terror group "with the intention of causing an explosion or explosions that were likely to cause serious bodily harm or death".
The RCMP respects the judicial process and the ruling of the court. This was part of a long and complex investigation involving several agencies, both domestic and international. The RCMP would like to thank the investigators, the prosecution team, and everyone who worked on this case.
The surest path to obtaining convictions is to conduct a thorough criminal investigation that leverages the positive changes made by the RCMP following the Arar Inquiry, which includes effective and timely collaboration with our intelligence and law enforcement partners.
This successful conclusion demonstrates that the appropriate response to terrorism lies with good intelligence, integrated law enforcement and effective prosecutions. However, this case also underscores the reality that Canada is not immune to the threat of terrorism. The extent of the preparations and the enormity of the attacks being planned in this case are quite chilling.
Rest assured, the RCMP and its law enforcement and intelligence partners will remain diligent in continuing to investigate to the fullest extent all threats to Canada's national security.
Gilles Michaud
Assistant Commissioner, National Security Criminal Investigations
