OTTAWA -- Ottawa was one potential target of an alleged terrorist bombing plot involving at least three Muslim men in an al-Qaida-linked cell that was just months away from carrying out attacks, police said Thursday.
At the same time, money was being raised locally to fund attacks against Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan, police revealed at a press conference.
"This group posed a real and serious threat to citizens of the National Capital Region and Canada's national security," said RCMP Chief Supt. Serge Therriault. "Our criminal investigation and arrests prevented the assembly of any bombs and the terrorist attacks from being carried out."
Police would not say what locations the alleged terrorists had planned to target in Ottawa or elsewhere in Canada. Details, police said, will emerge when the suspects are tried on the charges.
At no point did police uncover any bombs.
Police did seize 50 electronic circuit boards that could be used to remotely detonate so-called improvised explosive devices -- essentially homemade bombs.
Ottawa Police Chief Vern White said throughout the investigation there was always a concern that an attack was going to be carried out.
Hiva Mohammad Alizadeh, 30, the alleged ring leader, and Misbahuddin Ahmed, 26, were arrested in Ottawa Wednesday when police swooped in to dismantle the alleged terrorism cell .
Dr. Khurram Syed Sher, 28, was arrested in London, Ont.
The trio are alleged to have conspired with others in Canada, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Dubai.
Police said part of the decision to make arrests now after a year-long, multi-force investigation dubbed Project Samossa, was to prevent the suspects from funnelling money to terror counterparts in Afghanistan to buy weapons to use against Canadian and coalition troops.
Police said CSIS first learned of the group and provided that information to the RCMP while conducting their own parallel investigation in September 2009.
"The threat of terrorism is very real and Canada is certainly not immune from potential attacks," said Raymond Boisvert, assistant director of CSIS. "Canada has been identified on several occasions as a legitimate target by various individuals who espouse a violent Islamist ideology."
The "intensive and exhaustive" investigation was conducted by the RCMP, CSIS, Ottawa police, Surete du Quebec, London, Ont., police and Canada Border Services Agency.
"These arrests demonstrate Canada's resolve to root out terrorist threats and prosecute terrorists through a fair and open judicial process," said RCMP Assistant Commissioner Francois Bidal.
Bidal said Mounties in British Columbia, Manitoba and Quebec also assisted in the investigation.
Police have reason to believe Alizadeh was in contact with a terrorist group in Afghanistan. Police wouldn't say what group that was but it's been widely reported that it is al-Qaida.
The men are all charged with conspiracy and Alizadeh faces numerous other charges, including making or possessing explosives and helping to finance terrorists.
It's alleged that Alizadeh, 30, of 220 Woodridge Cres., made or possessed an explosive substance with the intent to endanger life or cause serious damage to property, or to enable another person to do so.
Alizadeh is also accused of collecting property, directly or indirectly, or inviting others to provide property or financial services, used to benefit a terrorist group.
Both of those charges relate to activity during the past year.
He's also facing a third charge, along with Ahmed, 26, of 91 Esterlawn Pvt., and Sher, of 1385 Bramblewoods, London, Ont.
They are accused of conspiring with James Lara, Rizgar Alizadeh and Zakaria Mamosta between February 2008 and Aug. 24. Those man are said to be based in international locations.
The three accused also allegedly conspired with "unknown" people in Ottawa and Canada during the same period.
Police said the suspects had schematics, videos, drawings, instructions, books and electrical components to build IEDs.
Police said they also have evidence a member of the group had travelled abroad to take terrorism training.
Alizadeh attended Red River College in Winnipeg, most recently in 2008 when he completed a semester of electrical engineering, said college spokesman Colin Fast.
Fast said Alizadeh would have learned regular mathematics and sciences related to electrical engineering but would have never completed any electrical work. He dropped out after the semester.
It was the second time he attended the school. In 2003-04 he dropped out of an English course.
Neighbours of Alizadeh said he had a wife, who wore a burka, and two young children, but otherwise they kept to themselves.
Both Ahmed and Sher have connections to Montreal.
Ahmed, a married father of one child, worked most recently as an X-ray technologist at the Civic hospital in Ottawa. A hospital spokesman said they never received a complaint since he started in 2008.
"This guy came with remarkable credentials from Montreal," said Guy Morency, Ahmed's supervisor Wednesday. "Our reference checks showed he was an excellent technologist."
Ahmed's wife wore a burka.
Sher is McGill University-trained doctor and had been hired out of the Montreal university to work as a pathologist at St. Thomas-Elgin General Hospital near London, Ont.
