Canada keeps Pakistani man in custody on terror charges

Canadian authorities have kept in custody a Pakistani man suspected of planning to blow up the US consulate and other buildings in the southern city of Toronto’s financial district.

Jahanzeb Malik had been arrested in Toronto located in Ontario Province on Monday by the Canada Border Services Agency after investigations by Canadian security and anti-terrorism personnel, said Canada’s Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney on Wednesday.

The Pakistani man, who has been in Canada since 2004 as a student, was ordered detained “on security grounds” after a hearing before the Immigration and Refugee Board on Wednesday.

Canadian authorities have also claimed that Malik, who is in custody at the Lindsay jail in Ontario Province, has received “weapons, combat and landmine training” in Libya.

Jessica Lourenco, a lawyer for the immigration minister, Chris Alexander, alleged that the 33-year-old Pakistani national befriended an undercover Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer.

The lawyer accused the Pakistani man of planning to radicalize the officer by trying to familiarize him with the ISIL Takfiri group.

“Malik attempted to radicalize the undercover officer by showing him videos apparently of beheadings [by ISIL terrorists],” Jessica Lourenco said, adding, “He told the undercover officer about his plan to build remote-controlled bombs to blow up the US consulate and other buildings in the financial district of Toronto.”

He also accused Malik of plotting to encourage others to carry out similar acts of terrorism by planning to videotape the attack on the US embassy.

The RCMP officer had said that Malik was “willing to commit a terrorist attack on Canadian soil,” noted the minister.

Another detention hearing is scheduled to be held for the Pakistani national next Monday.

Canadian authorities plan to deport Malik without charging him of any crimes.