The two men being held in a potential cross-border terror attack intended to derail a train that runs between New York City and Canada, law enforcement officials said Tuesday amid accusations that the alleged plot involved al-Qaida in Iran.
Canadian investigators say Raed Jaser, 35, and his suspected accomplice Chiheb Esseghaier, 30, received guidance — but no money — from members of al-Qaida in Iran. Iran released a statement saying it had nothing to do with the plot, even though there were no claims in Canada that the attacks were sponsored directly by Iran.
But the case raised questions about the extent of Shiite-led Iran’s relationship with the predominantly Sunni Arab terrorist network. It also renewed attention on Iran’s complicated history with the terror group, which ranges from outright hostility to alliances of convenience and even overtures by Tehran to assist Washington after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
“We oppose any terrorist and violent action that would jeopardize lives of innocent people,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Tuesday.
Charges against the two men in Canada include conspiring to carry out an attack and murder people in association with a terrorist group. Police — tipped off by an imam worried by the behavior of one of the suspects — said it was the first known attack planned by al-Qaida in Canada.
Law officials in New York with knowledge of the investigation said the attack was to take place on the Canadian side of the border. They are not authorized to discuss the investigation and spoke only on condition of anonymity.
Amtrak and Via Rail Canada jointly operate routes between the United States and Canada, including the Maple Leaf from New York City to Toronto.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Canada has kept New York posted on the investigation.
“I can just tell you that you are probably safer in New York City than you are in any other big city,” Bloomberg told reporters Tuesday without discussing details.
In a brief court appearance in Montreal, a bearded Esseghaier declined to be represented by a court-appointed lawyer. He made a brief statement in French in which he called the allegations against him unfair.
“The conclusions were made based on facts and words which are only appearances,” he said in a calm voice after asking permission to speak.
Jaser appeared in court earlier Tuesday in Toronto and also did not enter a plea. He was given a new court date of May 23. He had a long beard, wore a black shirt with no tie, and was accompanied by his parents and brother. The court granted a request by his lawyer, John Norris, for a publication ban on future evidence and testimony.
Norris questioned the timing of the arrests, pointing to ongoing debates in the Canadian Parliament over a new anti-terrorism law that would expand the powers of police and intelligence agencies.
He said his client would “defend himself vigorously” against the accusations, and noted Jaser was a permanent resident of Canada who has lived there for 20 years. Norris refused to say where Jaser was from, saying that revealing his nationality in the current climate amounted to demonizing him.
Canadian police also declined to release the men’s nationalities, saying only they had been in Canada a “significant amount of time.”
Muslim community leaders who were briefed by the RCMP ahead of Monday’s announcement of the arrest said they were told one of the suspects is Tunisian and the other from the United Arab Emirates.
Esseghaier’s LinkedIn profile lists him as having studied in Tunisia before moving to Canada, where he was pursuing a PhD in nanotechnology at the National Institute of Scientific Research, a spokeswoman at the training university confirmed.
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