In an extraordinary move, defence lawyers say Crown prosecutors have agreed to stay charges against four more suspects in the Ontario bomb plot trial. -
Last year, charges against three young offenders were also stayed.
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On Tuesday, in a Brampton courtroom, the Crown prosecutor asked for a stay of proceedings against four suspects - Quayyum Abdul Jamal, described in court documents as the alleged ringleader of the group, Ahmad Mustafa Ghany, Ibrahim Aboud and Yasim Mohamed.
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A provincial court judge has issued peace bonds for the men.
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Defence lawyers say the peace bonds are part of a deal with the Crown to have the charges stayed.
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Outside the court, Jamal said he was happy to be released.
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"Now I feel really I'm free, and I can try to move along with my life and support my family."
Defence lawyer calls for inquiry
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But his lawyer, Anser Farooq, said he wants to know why his client spent about 18 months behind bars, often in solitary confinement.
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"There should be some form of inquiry as to why it was this gentleman spent such a period of time in custody and spent it in the fashion that he did," he said.
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Jamal's wife, Cheryfa, was also critical of the case against her husband.
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"[It] goes to show how fabricated and inflated this really was," she said.
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The staying of the charges against the four men is another blow to the Crown's case in one of the biggest home-grown terrorism cases in Canadian history.
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Originally, 18 Muslim-Canadians were arrested in the Toronto area in the spring of 2006 in a series of dramatic raids.
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On June 2, hundreds of police officers from a number of forces launched a massive sweep that resulted in the arrests of 17 males. Two months later, the 18th suspect was arrested.
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Police said the group was planning to bomb targets in downtown Toronto, storm Parliament and take politicians hostage.
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With Tuesday's development, the so-called Toronto 18 is expected to decrease to 11.
Spent time in solitary confinement
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On Tuesday, the Crown conceded that at least three of the men went camping with other suspects charged in this case, but only took part in benign activities, such as paintball, marching or shooting a pellet gun.
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Although the men were out on bail, defence lawyers note that the men spent many months in jail - mostly in solitary confinement - before being released.
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Under the terms of the peace bonds, the men agreed to several conditions restricting their activities for a year, including:
- Curfews.
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- Agreeing not to communicate with others charged.
- Not to apply for a passport.
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This latest development is likely to raise more questions about the strength of the Crown's case against the remaining suspects.
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Just a couple of weeks ago, as the first trial got underway, the Crown released documents with some sensational material contained in videos and wiretaps, including a speech calling for the men to attack the West by decreeing that the "new Rome" must fall.
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In another instance, one of the suspects says that if innocent people are killed in the bomb attacks, so be it.
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The trial now underway involves a youth charged under Canada's new anti-terrorism legislation with belonging to the alleged home-grown terror cell.
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The young man cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.