Failed Toronto 18 terror plot ringleader granted full parole

A ringleader of the failed Toronto 18 terror plot in June 2006 has been granted full parole by the Parole Board of Canada.

It concluded on Friday that he no longer shows "any signs of holding onto extremist beliefs or radical ideologies." Zakaria Amara helped recruit members of a terrorist group.

As previously reported by National Post, he was one of 18 people arrested in sweeping national security raids in June 2006. Amara and an accomplice recruited people for a jihadist group that planned to carry out terrorist acts demanding Canadian troops be withdrawn from Afghanistan.

The group splintered in two, with Amara taking the lead role in a plot that included plans to detonate powerful truck bombs at key financial, military and intelligence targets. They also planned to storm Parliament, the CBC, as well as take hostages and behead the prime minister.

Amara has been on day parole with multiple conditions since 2022. The parole board moved his release forward after they reviewed his case last week. The two-member panel said Amara, 41, demonstrated "positive change, both in attitude and behaviour" after undergoing a deradicalization process while in jail.

The board's decision notes Amara wants to live in his own home, get a full-time job, attend a mosque, see family and participate in leisure activities. It says he was closely supervised while on day parole. His internet use, friendships and relationships were monitored, with no reported concerns or breaches.

The conditions linked to his full parole include a stipulation that Amara can't communicate with anyone involved in crime, including others arrested in the anti-terrorism raids of June 2006. He also can't be in contact with extremists, except in his work as a consultant with a specialized program.

He also has to continue to attend counselling, undergo financial monitoring and have restrictions on his phone and Internet use.

In response to the Parole Board decision, Senator Leo Housakos wrote on X, "Don't worry, Canadians! The terrorist who plotted to storm Parliament Hill and bomb Toronto has been miraculously cured of extremism. The Parole Board says Canadians can sleep soundly."

Amara pleaded guilty in October 2009 to participating in a terror group with the intention of setting off explosions likely to cause serious bodily harm or death. He was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 10 years.

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