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Hezbollah sleeper cells may be active in Canada: report

by Barry Artiste | June 20, 2008 at 05:28 am

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Opinion
Barry Artiste, Now Public Contributor

With the USA Homeland Security NO Fly list of a million plus people, certainly this list will be out to good use. Though Canada states they no longer use this list borrowed from their neighbours, perhaps the Canadian Intelligence Community may take a glance or two at it when "Putsch comes to Shove".

The problem being, if you have a similar sounding name that is on the list, you are pretty much hooped when crossing both borders. The no fly or crossing the border list does not differentiate between similar sounding and actual names.

Certainly it will be interesting times when long lineups at the border with result for both Canadians and Americans who will scrutinize anyone of colour.

Disturbing "chatter" picked up recently by intelligence agencies about attacks against Jewish targets by Canadian-linked supporters of Hezbollah has prompted an alert to Canada's Jewish community urging added caution.

Anti-terrorism officials, however, are officially downplaying a startling U.S. news report that says the banned terrorist organization, which is backed by Iran, has activated four suspected "sleeper cells" in Canada and that a known Hezbollah weapons expert was followed here and seen at a firing range south of Toronto.

An ABC News report on Thursday said three U.S. law enforcement agencies confirmed being briefed on the developments.

"Suspected Hezbollah operatives have conducted recent surveillance on the Israeli embassy in Ottawa, Canada, and on several synagogues in Toronto, according to the officials," according to the ABC report.