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VANCOUVER -- A British Columbia couple found guilty of terrorism charges have had their verdicts tossed out in a scathing court decision that flays the RCMP for its "egregious" conduct in manipulating naive suspects into carrying out a police-manufactured crime.
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Catherine Bruce said the Mounties used trickery, deceit and veiled threats to engineer the terrorist acts for which John Nuttall and Amanda Korody were arrested on Canada Day three years ago.
The couple believed they were planting pressure-cooker bombs to kill and maim crowds gathered to celebrate at the B.C. legislature.
"The world has enough terrorists. We do not need the police to create more," Bruce said in a landmark ruling Friday as she characterized the RCMP's methods as "multi-faceted and systematic manipulation."
"There is clearly a need to curtail the actions of police ... to ensure that future undercover investigations do not follow the same path."
Bruce said Mounties involved in a months-long sting launched in early 2013 knowingly exploited Nuttall and Korody's vulnerabilities to induce them to commit an offence.
She described the pair as marginalized, socially isolated, former heroin addicts dependent on methadone and welfare to subsist and said they were "all talk and no action."
Nuttall and Korody were recent converts to Islam. Their trial heard Nuttall say in a recording that he wanted to kill and maim countless people during Canada Day festivities in retaliation for Canada's role in the mistreatment of Muslims in Afghanistan and other countries.
Without the heavy-handed involvement of undercover officers, it would have been impossible for Nuttall and Korody to articulate, craft and execute a terrorist bomb plot, Bruce said.
"Ultimately, their role in carrying out the plan was minuscule compared to what the police had to do," Bruce said. "It was the police who were the leaders of the plot."
Followup to this story: https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=16/06/27/0355225
Yeah, sometimes the dragon wins. Lucky for us - sometimes the knight in shining armor is worse than the dragon! Lucky for Canadians, anyway.
(Score: 2) by quintessence on Saturday July 30 2016, @12:55PM
Terrorism is, in its broadest sense, the use or threatened use of violence (terror) in order to achieve a political, religious, or ideological aim.
I can think of nothing that so aptly describes the actions of the Mounties.
And from Canada? You're suppose to be the US's sensible neighbor.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Ethanol-fueled on Saturday July 30 2016, @01:35PM
Sensible my ass. Trudeau is a toddler behind the wheel of a large automobile. And what about sensible property values in urban areas?
Be smug while you can, syrupnigger, because Canada will be as bad as or worse than the U.S. in only a few years -- although it would be nice if we could offload all of our Mexicans onto you. Opening the floodgates to hordes of filthy undesirables is not without its consequences.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by vux984 on Saturday July 30 2016, @08:20PM
And from Canada? You're suppose to be the US's sensible neighbor.
To be fair, we did throw the verdict out, and are condemning the police activity as a mistake. And in terms of the usual course of justice we did it pretty quickly.
Would America have done the same?
(Score: 2) by quintessence on Sunday July 31 2016, @08:51AM
America conducts witch hunts for recreation. Sure there is much apologizing after the fact, but that is normally after a new target has been found. Hence the US's sensible neighbor.
Condemnation is fine, but the damage has already been done and, much like the US, nothing is in place to prevent further actions from occurring.
(Score: 2) by davester666 on Monday August 01 2016, @08:55AM
This all happened under that Harper wack-job. Basically our version of Bush. Only thing he failed to copy was going full-tilt at starting a war.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 30 2016, @12:56PM
Obviously using the stupid socialite definition of isolation which means being quiet for five minutes.
A socially isolated couple? So very socially isolated that they made pals with the police?? That's at least three people! And three's a crowd!
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Francis on Saturday July 30 2016, @04:16PM
You must be from the middle of nowhere then. Socially isolated, means that you don't have a social supports system; it doesn't mean that you don't see anybody.
My guess is that when they cleaned up, they got dumped by the junkies they were hanging out with and the non-users weren't terribly supportive either. It happens most of the time when you quit drugs, you lose the friends you had and chances are getting new ones is an issue as you're not damaged goods.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 30 2016, @09:22PM
Well let's see, I have no family, I have no friends, I have no job, I don't know anyone, and nobody talks to me.
I am social isolation.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Saturday July 30 2016, @01:01PM
The FBI churns out terrorists like it's nothing. Almost all foiled U.S. terror plots are manufactured (it's the real ones that succeed and don't get caught). Instead of being called egregious, Comey and crew get a pat on the back.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Gravis on Saturday July 30 2016, @01:16PM
which ones are those exactly? the ones that are suicide attacks? i mean, feel free to point to the ones where people got away with it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism_in_the_United_States [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 30 2016, @01:37PM
I understood takyon as "don't get caught before the attack"
(Score: 5, Insightful) by takyon on Saturday July 30 2016, @02:20PM
What the AC said.
In the FBI entrapment scenarios, the FBI convinces the mentally ill or idiots to buy or accept fake explosives, guns, whatever. They pay informants to help con these people. When they get enough "evidence", they make the arrest, and add another tick to the "foiled terror plot" tally that they can use to scare the public.
Real terrorists or mass shooters just aren't likely to get caught. Getting legal guns is easy, getting illegal guns is easy. Making explosives is easy. As long as they don't brag to anybody or get caught with loads of weapons in a random traffic stop, they will be able to initiate attacks like the one in Orlando again and again. And nothing a hypothetical Trump or Clinton Presidency can do is going to put a stop to it.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Username on Saturday July 30 2016, @04:18PM
I have to believe the judge made the correct choice since I didn’t have all the evidence she had to come up with that conclusion, but these were real terrorists. They joined islam, wanted to punished the infidels, and found a way to do it. Only difference is they found fake ISIS instead of real ISIS.
It’s like you coming up to me saying, "I wanna kill all those fucking infidels!!" and while I disagree with that statement I reply, "Here take this rifle and go kill them!" Then you grab it run down to a crowded place and shout, "ALLLLLALALALA AKBARRR," while squeezing the trigger only to find out it’s not shooting. Finally, a CC draws his weapon and blows your brains out. Sure, it’s negative of me to set you up, but it does not mean you aren't a terrorists.
(Score: 3, Informative) by http on Saturday July 30 2016, @04:56PM
In this particular case, no. They had severe reservations, and brought them up repeatedly with their handler who passed himself off an imam, but he kept on reassuring them they were on the right path - hence, advocating terrorism. That really doesn't look good on the RCMP. Also, the mounties pulled a couple Mr. Big moments that had them scared for their life - believing they would be killed if they didn't comply.
I browse at -1 when I have mod points. It's unsettling.
(Score: 2) by Username on Saturday July 30 2016, @07:23PM
Yes, all muslims fear for their lives if they disobey an imam. All imams capable of leading a mosque are judges in sharia court, and can order their execution.
Yes, the cops/islam did have a hand in it. You can even blame the inanimate objects like drugs or the bombs too, but the fact is they wanted to be terrorists, and made the decision to join a terrorist organization and went through with a terrorist plot.
(Score: 2) by http on Sunday July 31 2016, @03:50AM
I would like to know how many imams in Canada have issued an execution order to be carried out in Canada. I wonder how many would think to do so, seeing as BC is a British Common Law jurisdiction in criminal matters and signing it would be evidence of conspiracy to commit murder?
I browse at -1 when I have mod points. It's unsettling.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 30 2016, @06:02PM
I tried to get a job once as a suicide bomber. They said they were looking for someone with more experience.
---
I was about to post this joke logged in and decided not to. It's an indication of how fucked up things have gotten that I would even consider what it would sound like read out loud and out of context in a courtroom or holding cell. Humorlessness is a sign things have gone from bad to really bad, and it's starting to spread around this issue along with the usual lack of empathy.
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Saturday July 30 2016, @06:47PM
And if you think posting as "Anonymous Coward" counts as much protection....
Perhaps you need to reassess your paranoia level. Either that or your technical competence.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 30 2016, @08:01PM
Maybe he at least used TOR and other tools?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 30 2016, @09:05PM
No, but he is behind seven proxies!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 30 2016, @01:05PM
The judge violated the absolute right of a jury of their peers to punish the accused for being unpopular losers.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 30 2016, @03:46PM
If its legal then its not some sacred "sovereign right".
(Score: 2) by http on Saturday July 30 2016, @05:05PM
I felt compelled to mod this down, but then I thought maybe some americans don't know the actual situation. We have this thing in Canada called Appellate Courts - more commonly known as supreme courts (you may have heard of such things) - where you can appeal any decision if you can show some error of law was made.
And juries provide verdicts, not sentences, you unpopular loser.
I browse at -1 when I have mod points. It's unsettling.
(Score: 2) by dry on Sunday July 31 2016, @05:08AM
No, the jury just decides whether the defendants did it, the facts. The Judge decides how the law will deal with the crime. The defence asked for the Judge to delay conviction and consider entrapment. The Judge decided the only reason the defendants broke the law was due to the police and didn't convict.
(Score: 2) by wonkey_monkey on Saturday July 30 2016, @01:52PM
RCMP Entrapped Pair
I did that once. Nasty.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 30 2016, @07:03PM
You're confusing RCMP with CBT, as many do.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by boxfetish on Saturday July 30 2016, @02:16PM
Surely there is enough jail/prison space for both the RCMPs who set this up and the terrorists.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 30 2016, @04:04PM
"both the RCMPs who set this up and the terrorists."
What do you mean, "both"? The RCMPs set up a terrorist attack, so they are the terrorists.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 30 2016, @05:44PM
Look, even if somebody hands you terrorist equipment and says "you should be a terrorist", it's still not OK to be a terrorist. Every damn fool knows this.
Even if it were more like "be a terrorist or we'll poison your cat", everybody knows you're supposed to report the threat.
It's a very unusual case where you are under threat for long enough to perform terrorism, but unable to report that you are under threat. That's a movie plot line.
(Score: 2) by dingus on Saturday July 30 2016, @06:21PM
So their crime is that they were manipulated? Is that really a punishabvle offense?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 30 2016, @06:40PM
These shenanigans remind me of how much I miss the levity of Air Farce. Sergeant Renfrew on the 14th floor of Mountie headquarters and all that.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Appalbarry on Saturday July 30 2016, @09:35PM
Not mentioned in the summary, but the cops rearrested them within a couple of hours, and are trying to apply for - I am not making this up - a special terrorism peace bond. [www.cbc.ca]
To truly understand this couple, you need to know that their original plan, the thing that established them as credible terrorist masterminds, was to steal a Trident submarine from Seattle.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 31 2016, @12:43AM
Silly Canadians, the 9 Trident subs that can each hold 24 missiles that can each hold 10 warheads are on the /other/ side of Puget Sound. Although I'm sure someone would have told them that, once they got to Seattle.
Anyone else notice that more and more Canadians [seattletimes.com] are trying to get into America? They know how great it's gonna be and they can't wait.