TORONTO, June 4: Fifteen of the 17 people, accused of planning a series of attacks against Canadian targets, were produced in a court in Brampton, 26 kilometres north-west of Toronto. Shackled and handcuffed during their court appearances, the 15 were remanded into police custody and will appear again in court on Tuesday along with the other two accused for a bail hearing.

All the 17 persons, who are all Muslims, are facing terror-related charges.

Police told the Brampton court on Saturday afternoon that the suspects “knowingly participated in a terrorist group and either received or provided terrorist training in Toronto, Mississauga, Fort Erie and Ramara Township, located on the shores of Lake Simcoe in central Ontario.

“For various reasons, they appear to have become adherents of a violent ideology inspired by Al Qaeda,” said Luc Portelance, Assistant Director of Operations for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).

The names of the 12 adult suspects were made public on Saturday, but police said the identities of youths could not be released because of the Canadian laws which protect minors.