OTTAWA: Canada s federal court on Monday eased bail conditions on a terror suspect, rolling back his curfew by a few hours at night and allowing him to stay home alone.
It was the third time in as many weeks that the court has acted to ease restrictions on suspected terrorists who are fighting extradition.
Mohamed Mahjoub had been detained in June 2000, accused of being a high-ranking member of the Vanguards of Conquest, a radical armed wing of Al Jihad, which aims to overthrow the Egyptian government and replace it with an Islamic state.
The two organizations were the first to be banned in Canada under its Anti-Terrorism Act.
Mahjoub, alias Shaker, was ordered released in April 2007 on stringent parole conditions, as he fights deportation.
Under new bail terms, he may venture out into his backyard without supervision and stay out as late as 11 pm local time, but must continue to wear an electronic monitoring anklet.
His wife may also now use an Internet phone to visually contact her sick father in Egypt, and his two children may play their Nintento Wii game system, provided it is not used to access the Internet.
Last week, alleged Al Qaeda sleeper agent Algeria-born Mohamed Harkat was also granted permission by the court to stay home alone and use public washrooms.
Moroccan terror suspect Adil Charkaoui, meanwhile, was allowed in February to take his children to school unsupervised for the first time in six years, stay out late, look for a job and use a computer or cell phone.
In all three cases, the federal court found that incarceration, strict bail conditions upon release and increased media scrutiny had neutralized, to varying degrees, the threat each individual posed to Canada s security.
The government did not agree with the court s assessment, insisting that time passing does not diminish the threat posed by extremists. -AFP
