Dangerous offender
Man convicted on 11 counts of attempted murder sent to prison indefinitely
Letter bomber sent to prison indefinitely,
A man convicted of 11 counts of attempted murder for sending letter bombs and poisoned water to various targets, including Toronto modelling agencies, a lawyer and a judge, has been declared a dangerous offender and sent to prison indefinitely. Adel Arnaout, 41, has a “greatly magnified sense of his own victimhood” and significant problems with controlling his anger and revenge-oriented thinking, Superior Court Justice Todd Ducharme said Wednesday, reading his decision in court. Arnaout continues to demonstrate a lack of empathy, remorse and a “stunning lack of insight” into the seriousness of his offences, raising “a very real concern about Mr. Arnaout engaging in similar activities in the future,” Ducharme said. The Crown brought a dangerous offender application after Ducharme convicted the Lebanese-born man of 11 attempted-murder charges in Toronto and Guelph, as well as possessing three explosive devices in the trunk of his car. Toronto police closed the Don Valley Parkway in August 2007, en route to detonating the intercepted bombs. Aranout sat silently in court while Ducharme read his reasons. The psychiatrist who assessed Arnaout concluded he remains a high risk to reoffend based on his history of self-righteousness, negative attitude and distorted thinking. Any effective therapeutic supervision would be “very difficult due to his rigidity, difficulties with disclosure, problems with authority, and his need to be in control,” Ducharme said.
The judge said Arnaout continued to make notes about bomb-making while in custody waiting to be assessed, which he characterized as an innocent academic interest.
“The fact that he engaged in this behaviour and so resolutely maintains that he was justified in so doing, underscores how difficult it will be to control his risk through supervision and therapeutic intervention.”
Ducharme referred to Internet searches found on Arnaout’s seized computer, which included the home address of former Toronto police chief Julian Fantino and Jewish Toronto high schools. Ducharme said the searches suggest broader interest in acts of domestic terrorism.
“I reject the suggestion that Mr. Arnaout is willing to change, or has developed any insight into his condition. Sadly, he has not.”
While Arnaout will be entitled to apply for parole after seven years, very few dangerous offenders are ever released.