Canada foils 'major terrorist' attack
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police on Monday named the two accused as Chiheb Esseghaier and Raed Jaser, from the Montreal and Toronto areas respectively.
"The RCMP is alleging that Chiheb Esseghaier and Raed Jaser were conspiring to carry out an al-Qaeda-supported attack against a VIA passenger train," RCMP official James Malizia said.
"While the RCMP believed that these individuals had the capacity and intent to carry out these criminal acts, there was no imminent threat to the general public, rail employees, train passengers or infrastructure," the police said in a statement.
The police told a news conference the suspects "were receiving support from al-Qaeda elements located in Iran" but added "there's no indication that these attacks were state-sponsored".
The pair, who are not Canadian citizens, are expected to appear in court on Tuesday for a bail hearing, AFP news agency reported.
Charges include conspiring to carry out an attack and conspiring in association with a terrorist group to murder individuals.
Canadian police and intelligence agencies said the operation was conducted in co-ordination with the US Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
A US law enforcement source told Reuters news agency the alleged plot was not linked with last week's Boston Marathon bombings.
In 2006, Canadian authorities also arrested at least 18 suspects reportedly linked to a terror plot, involving attacks on the parliament and a major broadcast company.
Source: Al Jazeera And Agencies
