Supporters of Mohamed Harkat, the Ottawa man accused of being an al-Qaeda operative, have launched a 50,000 dollar fundraising drive in preparation for his bail hearing next month. Mr. Harkat, 37, will mark his 1,000th day behind bars in early September. He has been held without criminal charge since Dec. 10, 2002, when he was arrested on the strength of a security certificate issued by two federal cabinet ministers. Based on information from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service spy agency, the ministers concluded Mr. Harkat was a terrorist and threat to Canadians. Earlier this year, a Federal Court judge endorsed that decision, opening the door to Mr. Harkat's deportation to Algeria, the country from which he fled as a political dissident in 1990. Before deporting him, the federal government must determine whether Mr. Harkat faces a substantial risk of torture in Algeria, and whether such danger is outweighed by the risk he poses to Canadians. As he waits, Mr. Harkat has decided to apply for bail. That hearing is expected to be held next month in Federal Court. "I think he has a good chance; we're well prepared and we have a big support network," said his wife, Sophie Harkat. "It is really impressive. I'm getting offers from people from all over who are willing to help."Ms. Harkat, who is spearheading attempts to raise 50,000 dollars for a cash bond, was detained and questioned earlier this week by Ottawa police in connection with a bad cheque deposited into the bond account.

She was taken into custody at a bank by two officers, handcuffed and held for several hours. Her lawyer, Lorne Goldstein, said she has not been charged with a crime and is co-operating fully with the police investigation.

Two of six men facing security certificates in Canada are currently out on bail.

Toronto resident Manickavasagam Suresh, an alleged fundraiser for the Tamil Tigers, has been out on bail since 1997 as he awaits a new deportation hearing. And Montreal's Adil Charkaoui, who is accused by CSIS of being an al-Qaeda sleeper agent, was released earlier this year on 50,000 dollars bail.

Mr. Charkaoui also faces strict bail conditions. He's not allowed to use a computer or phone outside his home; he's under a nightly curfew and must be accompanied by his parents when he leaves home.

Ms. Harkat hopes her husband can follow in Mr. Charkaoui's legal footsteps. To that end, she has collected about 10,000 dollars in donations and cash bonds that would be used if her husband is granted bail. She's also arranging for performance bonds that guarantee payments if Mr. Harkat fails to abide by court conditions.

"The conditions, we know, are going to be very harsh if there's bail," said Ms. Harkat. "There will be a few advantages -- Mo will be with his family -- but our lives would not be easy."

In March, Judge Eleanor Dawson ruled Mr. Harkat lied in Federal Court when he testified he had no connection to al-Qaeda.

Judge Dawson said there's credible, reliable information from a number of independent sources, including CSIS, that Mr. Harkat aided Islamic extremists abroad and in Canada. The judge relied heavily on evidence heard in secret.

Mr. Harkat came to Canada in 1995 after five years in Pakistan, during which time he said he worked as a warehouse manager for the Muslim World League.

But Judge Dawson said there's reasonable grounds to believe Mr. Harkat travelled to Afghanistan in the early 1990s and developed an association with Abu Zubayda, a senior al-Qaeda lieutenant who ran two terrorist training camps.

© The Ottawa Citizen 2005