Blog #13: Al Qaeda-inspired terrorist attack

An investigation led to the arrest of two men, from Montreal and Toronto for targeting an attack on a commuter train in the Toronto area. Both men were not Canadian citizens and police would not comment on their nationality. CBC News reported that the alleged plotters were reportedly under surveillance in Quebec and southern Ontario for more than a year. What does this mean to me? To me this shows that there are definite signs of concerns that should be coming out of this arrest because for even the casual observer, this Canadian flavored terrorist-takedown is not something that should be easily ignored. For one, this is the first instance of Al-Qaeda following through with supporting an actual planned attack on Canadian soil. While Bin Laden apparently named Canada as a target in papers recovered from his assassination, we’ve never been considered a prime objective for Islamic terrorists. This planned attack is a huge threat to us Canadians, as it could be a sign to "go into hiding" for once. This reinforces the stereotype behind the belief that all "Muslims are terrorists" just like things were right after the 9/11.