IF RELEASED, Mohamed Harkat will be a threat to national security, a CSIS official said yesterday. Testifying at Harkat's bail hearing, a senior Middle East analyst with CSIS, identified only as "P.G." made the assertion in response to the Crown's questioning. James Mathison asked P.G. if the time Harkat has spent in custody is enough to lessen or erase Islamic fundamental ideological beliefs. "It is our belief the length of time is not relevant ... that incarceration does not act as a deterrent, as a neutralizing factor," P.G. answered, noting acts of violence are used to achieve political goals of such fundamentalists.

[ Read the rest ... ]