OTTAWA, May 4: Secret Canadian intelligence documents warn of possible attacks on domestic targets by ‘homegrown Islamic extremists’, the National Post reported on Thursday.
The reports by Canada’s Integrated Threat Assessment Centre were written after suicide bombings in London on July 7 last year that left 52 dead.
The newspaper said it had obtained recently declassified portions of the documents through Canada’s freedom of information laws.
“The attacks in London highlight the threat of homegrown’ extremists. Canada is home to Islamic extremists, both homegrown and immigrant,” said one of the documents obtained.
“A small number of extremists in Canada advocate violent ‘jihad’ in pursuit of their political and religious aims. The reasons for radicalisation are varied and include a general sense of anger at what is seen as oppression of Muslims throughout the world (and) parental influence.”
According to the National Post, the intelligence documents circulated after the London bombings reflect a shift in Canada’s counterterrorism focus from imported threats — such as Sikh militants who bombed two Air India flights in 1985 — to a new generation of homegrown extremists.
While past threats involved migrants and refugees who brought conflicts from their respective homeland to Canada, new threats consist largely of Canadian-born radical Muslims including converts who have adopted extreme interpretations of Islam.
The documents support recent claims by US counterterrorism officials that extremists are operating in Canada, the National Post said.
The US State Department raised concerns last week in its annual report on global terrorism, which stated: “Terrorists have capitalized on liberal Canadian immigration and asylum policies to enjoy safe haven, raise funds, arrange logistical support and plan terrorist attacks.”—AFP
