by Mohammed Adam
Source: The Ottawa Citizen
URL: [link]
Date: February 2, 2010

[PHOTO: Mohamed Harkat seemed in a lighthearted mood as his testimony began in the Security Certificate Hearing Monday, February 1, 2010 at the Supreme Court of Canada.]


OTTAWA — Mohamed Harkat completed two days of testimony Tuesday, saying he is neither a sleeper agent, an extremist nor a member of the Bin Laden network, as the government contends.

He told federal court judge Simon Noel that he never knew nor met alleged 9/11 mastermind Abu Zubaydah, and while in Pakistan, he did not associate with extremists.

“That's not true,” he said when asked about being a sleeper agent.

Harkat completed his testimony on a day that his expensive gambling habit, during which he lost between $65,000 and $100,000 was laid bare in court.

He acknowledged a corrosive addiction that put him in debt and nearly ruined his marriage.

Harkat said he lost thousands of dollars playing mainly blackjack at the Lac Leamy Casino in Gatineau. He gambled every cent he had, raiding his savings and deposit account. Harkat said he couldn't help himself, winning and losing large sums of money. Eventually, he had to ask that he be banned from the casino after his wife Sophie asked him choose gambling or her.

“I tell the security (at the casino) I like to ban myself. I did for a year,” he said.

“It was out of control. I lost all the business money I had.”

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