Lawyer for Ottawa twins says terror charges a ‘surprise’
The lawyer representing the Ottawa twin brothers charged with terrorism-related offences Friday says their arrest came as “a surprise to me and to them.”
The 24-year-old twins, Carlos and Ashton Larmond, both from the Vanier area of Ottawa, have been the subject of a lengthy national security criminal investigation, according to the RCMP.
Joseph Addelman, a criminal defence lawyer who has previously represented both brothers, said the charges date back as far as August 2013. At court in Ottawa on Saturday, he said his clients intend to “vigorously defend” themselves against the allegations.
Carlos Larmond was arrested Friday at Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport “as he was intending to travel overseas for terrorist purposes,” RCMP said. Ashton Larmond was arrest- ed in Ottawa.
Speaking to the Star late Saturday, Addelman said he had not received evidence or arrest reports from the prosecutor.
“I can tell you based on what I saw going on this morning, I don’t think they were planning to arrest them this weekend,” he said. “I don’t have the arrest reports, but one was at an airport, maybe they weren’t planning to arrest anybody until he turned up at an airport.”
Addelman said he couldn’t disclose the previous charges, but said they were “relatively minor.” A source told the Star outstanding charges against Carlos in Gatineau may include marijuana possession.
In the wake of the recent deadly terrorist activity in Canada and around the world, Addelman said police were “out there looking to lay these charges.”
“This is the new craze right? This is what our police are into,” he said.
Ashton Larmond has been charged with: Facilitating terrorist activity Participation in the activity of a terrorist group
Instructing to carry out activity for a terrorist group
Carlos Larmond has been charged with:
Participation in the activity of a terrorist group
Attempting to leave Canada to participate in terrorist activity abroad
Assistant Commissioner James Malizia, the officer in charge of the RCMP’s Federal Policing Operations said: “Today’s arrests speak to our ability to tackle a threat that is multifaceted and constantly evolving. Through collaborative efforts with our partners, we were able to prevent these individuals from leaving Canada to engage in terrorist activity overseas.”
On some counts, the twins are alleged to have conspired with each other from August 2014 to January 2015, Addelman said. On one count, related only to Ashton, he said the time frame is from August 2013 to January 2015. Addelman would not comment on where Carlos Larmond was allegedly planning to fly. He said the rare and “very serious” charges, which could lead to life imprisonment, came as a shock to him and his clients.
“There’s not many (people charged with terrorism-related offences) out there. People can get big, big sentences,” he said.
The case would be about determining “how much value the Canadian system truly places on freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of religion,” Addelman said outside the courtroom Saturday. “All Canadians have the right to express their religious beliefs and to participate in free assembly without that being a criminal offence.”
Addelman said the brothers are Muslim, but he would not elaborate on how religion and freedom of as- sembly were factors in the case. He would not confirm whether or not his clients were converts to Islam.
Both Ashton and Carlos Larmond appeared individually in court on Saturday via video link. They were each instructed not to contact the other while in custody at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre.
Addelman said he would not be representing both brothers at their next court appearance, which has been scheduled for Feb. 12 in Ottawa.
Both Ashton and Carlos Larmond played hockey for the Platt Hockey League, based in Gatineau, Que.
Ken Platt, who runs the league, told the Star Ashton started playing for the league in September and played five or six games before quitting.
“He seemed like a nice guy, and a polite hockey player,” said Platt.
Carlos joined the league after Ashton quit and also played five or six games. Platt says they never met, but he was a “not-so-good” player.
Safwan Choudhry, media spokesman for Stop the Crisis, a group set up to fight youth radicalization in Canada, said he was relieved that “our authorities are being proactive and catching suspected individuals.
“We are relieved to know our security services are doing their part to catch and diffuse any situation prior to it happening.” Choudhry was not personally aware of the Larmond brothers, but said their arrest was part of an ongoing investigation by RCMP.
“These two were part of that. We are not sure how big it is,” he said
In Paris, Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney said the arrests of the Larmonds were not connected to the attacks in the French capital.
“The arrests yesterday are part of ongoing investigations that have been going for a while in Canada,” Blaney told reporters after laying a wreath at the offices of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, where 12 people were killed.
“They are not linked in itself by exact link, but they are part of this extremist ideology and in that way, they are related but not necessarily in the same cell or groups.”
Blaney said he met with the CSIS head of mission in Paris, will meet Sunday with his French counterpart and that Canada is also working with its other partners.
“We are working at an increased partnership in fighting against terrorists and more specifically foreign fighters,” he said.
In the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attack, a rally to honour the victims is being held at Nathan Phillips Square at 2 p.m. on Sunday.