Terrorists in Toronto

June 5, 2006 - Canadians woke up to the reality of our new world this weekend as Toronto Police and the arrested 17 men and teenagers on terrorism charges and accused them of attempting to plot terrorist attacks on Canadian soil. Three tonnes of ammonium nitrate were recovered in a undercover raid. Ammonium nitrate is a fertilizer highly effective in making bombs. The same material was used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, where 168 people, including many children, were killed. A cell phone detonator was also recovered in the raid.

Right now there are no confirmed reports of the targets, though the Police did say the TTC is not one of them (despite reports in local media). Some media outlets have reported the intended target were the CSIS building on Front Street, the CN tower, and quite possibly the Peace Tower in Ottawa.

It's important to remember that terrorism does not discriminate and that terrorists come in all different shapes and sizes (including race and religion) - so it would be entirely unfair to attach stereotypes and prejudice against certain groups in our community. It is also important to remember that while we should be vigilant, we should also continue to go on with our everyday lives. Terrorism seeks to destroy normalcy and by living in fear, we are just letting the terrorists win their battle.