TORONTO - An aspiring actor-model exacted a campaign of revenge on targets such as his lawyer, a judge and two modelling agencies' owners by sending letter bombs and spiked water bottles, court heard yesterday.
Adel Arnaout, 39, who is accused of targeting three victims with letter bombs and many others with toxic water bottles sent as promotional "gifts," was arrested in August 2007 in Toronto.
Crown attorney James Dunda outlined the prosecution's case against Arnaout to Justice Todd Ducharme in the judge-alone trial.
Arnaout's arrest made headlines as police closed three major arteries leading into the city while they ferried three bombs allegedly found in the car he was driving.
Arnaout was busted at an East York gas station near the Ontario Science Centre, accused of delivering explosive devices to three targets -- two in Toronto for his then criminal lawyer Terrence Reiber and his former roommate Abdel Magid Radi -- and one in Guelph to contractor John Becker.
Arnaout years ago signed up at two Toronto modelling agencies, paying $1,500 at one for promotional photos, but received minimal work in 2002-03. Arnaout pestered one agency with phone calls and threatening faxes.
He hinted in one fax that the Russian mob would avenge the agencies ripping him off for his money.
"You know deep in your heart, what the Russian will do to you!! You are going to meet people from the street who understand thug's languages. You are going to meet your absolute fate," one fax said.
Arnaout pleaded guilty to criminally harassing the agency in 2003 and received a conditional discharge by Justice Bernard Kelly.
The judge was later targeted with a case of "tampered" water bottles which arrived at his Old City Hall courthouse, court heard.
Both modelling agencies that signed Arnaout as a client received cases of bottled water. Both cases contained murky water laced with an industrial solvent. Each bottle also had pinhole openings in the bottle caps.
Dunda alleged in his opening that Arnaout sent a letter-bomb device to Radi, who opened his package on Aug. 11, 2007. It exploded and Radi "was injured but not severely," Dunda said.
Eight days later, Arnaout's lawyer received a letter bomb, Dunda said. Reiber began opening the package until he smelled something suspicious. He then phoned police, who discovered it was an explosive device, Dunda said.
Arnaout was placed under surveillance and was arrested in a Don Mills gas station.
Arnaout pleaded not guilty Wednesday to 16 charges, including 11 counts of attempted murder or intending to cause explosions likely to cause death and two counts of possession of explosives. The trial continues Thursday.
