Ottawa terrorist to be first to be tried by Canada's post-9/11 terrorism laws

Ottawa, Mar 12 (ANI): An Ottawa man, convicted of building bomb components will become today the first person to be sentenced under Canada's post-9/11 terrorism laws.

The landmark case of Mohammed Momin Khawaja would be resolved today in a downtown Ottawa courtroom.

Khawaja could be sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted last fall on five counts of financing and facilitating terrorism as well as two lesser Criminal Code offences.

Globe and Mail. Com quoted Wesley Wark, a professor at the University of Toronto and authority on international security as saying, "I'm anticipating that it will be dramatic one way or another."

Proffesor Wark predicted the trial judge will "lean in the direction of a fairly hefty sentence."

Khwaja's sentence is also expected to help the federal officials, who have been severely criticised since long for being lenient on the issue of terrorism.

The Anti-Terrorism Act was passed by parliamentarian's just months after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. The Act's extraordinary "sunset" powers - which gave police temporary powers of preventative arrest and the ability to compel witnesses to testify at secret hearings.

However, these powers could never be used.

In 2007, the opposition had refused to renew these powers. This week, Conservative Justice Minister Rob Nicholson gave Parliament notice that he plans to restore those powers. (ANI)