Sacha Trudeau among those offering bail for man suspected of terrorist links

A bevy of high-profile journalists including Alexandre (Sacha) Trudeau is prepared to post bail for terrorism suspect Hassan Almrei, a Syrian national who is being held on a controversial national security certificate.

Mr. Trudeau, the son of the late prime minister Pierre Trudeau, appeared yesterday at Mr. Almrei's detention review, and an affidavit filed in court noted that he is prepared to post a $5,000 bond because "he is concerned about human rights . . . and about Mr. Almrei's lengthy detention in solitary confinement."

Mr. Almrei's lawyers have successfully fought his deportation to his native Syria and argued yesterday that he should be released from custody while his complex legal battle continues.

The use of security certificates has become a cause for some members of Canada's intelligentsia, who argue that they are unconstitutional.

But an intelligence analyst from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warned yesterday that Mr. Almrei still poses a threat to national security. The analyst, identified only by the initials P.G., told the Federal Court hearing that it was unlikely that anyone who once embraced al-Qaeda's ideology and goals would renounce them if released from prison.

Mr. Almrei, 31, has been in solitary confinement in Toronto's West Detention Centre since October of 2001, protesting against his incarceration by holding hunger strikes, one of which lasted 39 days.

He is one of five alleged Islamic-extremist immigrants who have been detained on security certificates.

All five say they will be tortured if deported, and that deporting them is unconstitutional and a breach of international law. Some details of the allegations are shown only to the judge, and the government uses a relatively low threshold to trigger the deportation process, claiming reasonable grounds to believe the suspects could pose a threat to national security.

Mr. Trudeau, who did not speak to the media yesterday, is making a documentary about these cases and has met with Mr. Almrei in prison. According to an affidavit, he has confidence Mr. Almrei will comply with the conditions of a release order.

Authors and filmmakers Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis, as well as Globe and Mail columnist Heather Mallick, have also offered Mr. Almrei support, and pledged to post bonds of $200 and $100, respectively.

"Mr. Almrei has never faced any charges or had an opportunity to see the evidence against him," his lawyer, John Norris, said.

"Every time he is ordered deported, it is overturned by a judge. There is no realistic sense of when the removal decision will be made."

Human-rights activist Matthew Behrens has co-ordinated a public effort to stop the use of security certificates, enlisting such high-profile figures as writer June Callwood and singer Bruce Cockburn.

Last February, a Federal Court judge in Montreal agreed to a conditional release of Adil Charkaoui, held on a security certificate and accused of being a sleeper agent for al-Qaeda. The native of Morocco must obey a curfew and wear an electronic tracking device. He cannot use a computer or leave Montreal.

Filmmaker Denys Arcand, former NDP leader Alexa McDonough and former Progressive Conservative immigration minister Flora MacDonald all offered bail money for Mr. Charkaoui.

Mr. Norris thinks the Charkaoui case set an important precedent: "It showed the terms of release can be crafted and public interests still be protected."

Yesterday, the CSIS analyst said he believes Mr. Almrei is a member of a network that supports Osama bin Laden and was involved in a document-forgery ring with which he would likely reconnect if released. "The fact that Almrei has not issued a statement saying he seeks retribution against the government of Canada has no bearing on our belief these individuals will return to previous activities once released," he testified.

Mr. Almrei has conceded that he attended camps in Afghanistan in the early 1990s and also took part in jihad twice in Tajikistan in 1995 before coming to Canada.

He has denied membership in the Muslim Brotherhood but admits he lied about his past to get refugee status in Canada in 1999, used a false passport to enter the country and later played a role in procuring a false passport for an illegal immigrant.

Mr. Almrei's request for bail was denied in March of 2004, in a decision upheld by the Federal Court of Appeal. It is under appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.

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