I know a lot of you are wondering what the heck is going on in Canada with the release of one of the individuals in the Toronto 18 terrorist plot (Abdelhaleem). Here's a short thread on some relevant details to help you understand the Canadian approach to counter-terrorism: /n

Abdelhaleem was arrested back in 2006 with other members of the terrorist plot. He has been in custody since that time, and was eventually sentenced to life in prison. https://www.ppsc-sppc.gc.ca/eng/nws-nvs/2011/04_03_11.html

He served 4 years and 9 months in custody before being found guilty / sentenced. For more details on the convictions & acquittals in that case, there's a handy chart in this paper by @MichaelJNesbitt https://www.canlii.org/en/commentary/doc/2020CanLIIDocs495#!fragment/zoupio-_Tocpdf_bk_2/BQCwhgziBcwMYgK4DsDWszIQewE4BUBTADwBdoAvbRABwEtsBaAfX2zhoBMAzZgI1TMATAEoANMmylCEAIqJCuAJ7QA5KrERCYXAnmKV6zdt0gAynlIAhFQCUAogBl7ANQCCAOQDC9saTB80KTsIiJAA

There have been concerns about his release from prison; one halfway house refused to accommodate him. That wasn't because he's considered a threat - it's because they were concerned about being able to monitor him effectively. https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/member-of-toronto-18-terror-group-is-granted-day-parole-in-quebec

On the threat issue: we actually have no information about this. We know that's he's participating in a de-radicalization / re-integration program. For more info on their approach, see: https://info-radical.org/en/structure-2/ 

For reference, if CSIS has reasonable grounds to suspect / believe that he could pose a threat to the security of Canada, he can be investigated / monitored. We have no information about their views on this matter, or whether that will occur.

I think concerns about his state of mind are legitimate, particularly since we have NO counter-terrorism / CVE programming for terrorism offenders in this country. @ReemZaia has done excellent work on this that will be released in the new year.

Anyway, for more coherent thoughts on this issue, here's a piece I wrote for the Globe and Mail: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-how-canada-can-reduce-the-threat-of-terrorists-striking-again/

Bottom line: Canada can be doing MUCH better at reducing the possible threat posed by our convicted terrorists. And there are rightly questions about length of sentences for terrorism offenders and how those get applied (don't even get me started on the gender components).

But it's unhelpful to encourage a narrative that terrorists should be imprisoned indefinitely (rarely a possibility in our current legal system), or outrage based on perceived threat without evidence. Everyone is entitled their opinion, but they aren't entitled to ignore facts.