Christine Douglass-Williams
“Police north of Toronto have charged a father and son after officers found explosive materials and a detonator device at a home in Richmond Hill, Ont..Reza Mohammadiasl, 47, and his son Mahyar, 18, were arrested….and charged with one count each of possession of an explosive device following a search of their home.” Chemicals were also seized and the neighborhood was evacuated.
“The family told neighbors they were originally from Iran.” One neighbor reported: “This is shocking…..They have lived there for six years and they have always been very nice people.”
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale rushed to say that “the arrests and charges are a local matter that concerns York police and there is no known connection to national security.” It isn’t the first time that Goodale has been dismissive about public safety in his mandate of public safety.
Global News pointed out at the end of November in 2017 in reaction to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wanting to reintegrate Islamic State jihadists into Canadian society: “Common sense forces us to ask why. Who the hell wants this kind of crud to be among us?” Then under intense questioning by the opposition Conservatives about a Canadian Islamic State jihadist, Goodale “refused to provide details on the status” of the IS fighter “who made an apparent confession to an execution-style killing in Syria”. Goodale undermined the threat by saying “police and security officials are taking all necessary steps to “keep Canadians safe,” but he did not indicate what steps would be taken and how effective they might be.
A Conservative Government report showed in 2014 that 130 Canadian citizens had “gone abroad to join terrorist groups, including 30 believed to be fighting in Syria. In Calgary, five of those young men are linked to one downtown apartment building, which has a mosque on its ground floor.”
Jihadists are roaming among Canadians while the Liberal government downplays it. Last year, leaked intelligence documents from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) showed a greater threat of Islamic terror than the government admits to the public that it should be protecting. A former Yazidi sex slave in Canada experienced the trauma of seeing her Islamic State captor and rapist in Canada. In fact, CSIS has indicated that “Extremists returning to Canada have the potential to pose a significant threat to our national security.”
In returning to the case of explosive materials and chemicals found inside the Richmond Hill home: neighbors were understandably left horrified and shocked as all Canadians should be. Although nothing is confirmed about motive of the Iranian pair–Reza Mohammadiasl and his son Mahyar–in this case, the underlying threat to public safety is obvious. All the while, the Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale will not acknowledge nor confront the threat.
“Father, son charged after explosive materials found inside home in Richmond Hill, Ont.”, CBC News, May 14, 2019:
Police north of Toronto have charged a father and son after officers found explosive materials and a detonator device at a home in Richmond Hill, Ont.
Reza Mohammadiasl, 47, and his son Mahyar, 18, were arrested on Monday and charged with one count each of possession of an explosive device following a search of their home, located about 40 km north of Toronto.
Both men were scheduled to appear in Newmarket court today.
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said the arrests and charges are a local matter that concerns York police and there is no known connection to national security.
“There is no known connection to any issue related to national security,” he said in Ottawa. “It is a local policing matter. Obviously they’ve made arrests, they’ve laid charges, and it’s up to them to comment further.”
Border agents tipped off police
York Regional Police said the investigation began last Thursday when they received information about a person being investigated by the United States Customs and Border Protection and the Canada Border Services Agency.
On Friday, police executed a search warrant at a home on Larratt Lane, near Bathurst Street and Elgin Mills Road West, and discovered explosive materials. Police did not specify what exactly the materials were or how much was removed. They said chemicals were also seized.
Ontario Provincial Police, along with the York police’s explosives detection unit, helped to removed the materials.
As a precaution, police practically shut down the street on Friday, forcing neighbours from their homes and restricting vehicle and pedestrian traffic as officers carried out their work. Neighbours have since been allowed back into their homes, police said.
Despite, evacuation orders being lifted and the suburban street returning to normal, residents say they have been left feeling uneasy.
Jill Garazi, who has lived on Larratt Lane for 16 years, said the experience was “very stressful and traumatic.”….
…..’It’s a very serious case for sure’
Const. Andy Pattenden, spokesperson for the York Regional Police, said officers are investigating how the materials got into the home, why they were there and what the accused planned to do with them.
“We don’t often see things like this. It’s a very serious case for sure. The charge, possession of explosives, is a very serious charge,” Pattenden said.
“Thankfully, nobody was injured in this particular case. But there’s lots more to this investigation. That’s why we really need some tips and help from the public as to how these materials got there, why they were there and what these two people were up to.”