Fateh Kamel
Encyclopedia
An Algerian-Canadian, Fateh Kamel was arrested in 1999 on charges of supporting a terrorist plot against attacks against French targets in Paris
, and was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment.
He was released early for good behaviour, and returned to Canada.
He married a schoolteacher in Quebec
, and was granted Canadian citizenship in 1993, and owned the Aristanat Nord-Sud Craft Store in Montreal
.
He was injured in the foot while fighting in Bosnia
. In 1996, following the Bosnian War
, he stated to friends that he would "prefer to die than go to jail", speaking of how he almost lost his wife and newborn son. When authorities pursued French militant Christophe Caze, it was discovered that his address book contained the contact information of Kamel.
Returning to Canada, he is alleged to have led a group of radical Montreal Islamists, including Ahmed Ressam
. In 1991 he is believed to have attended an Afghan training camp
, and returned to Montreal where he stole money and identity documents to support his group's plans to bomb Parisian metro stations, and a series of attacks in the city of Roubaix
.
Described as possessing a "slick, polished exterior" and "especially handsome", he traveled between Milan, Montreal, Paris, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Zagreb, Bosnia, Copenhagen, Australia, Slovenia, Freibourg, Morocco, Acone, Istanbul, Belgium and Amsterdam over a period of three years from 1994-97. Evan Kohlmann
has suggested that he served as third-in-command of a Zenica
mujahideen battalion during 1995 under Abdelkader Mokhtari
.
After his early release from prison for good behaviour, he returned to Montreal in January 2005, where he was living with his wife and son until Canada brought deportation
orders against him.
critic Peter MacKay
urged the government to revoke his citizenship and deport the "bad dude" to Algeria. Some critics alleged he was being allowed to return simply to allow the Canadian Security Intelligence Service
to track his movements to discover future plots.
Five months after returning to Canada, Kamel applied for a passport explaining that he needed to fly to Thailand
on a business trip. On November 30, Pierre Pettigrew
wrote an internal memo suggesting the application be denied, which it was. In March 2008, Federal Court
justice Simon Noel
ruled that this had infringed Kamel's rights under the Canadian Charter.
However, the ruling was set aside by the Federal Court of Appeal in January 2009 in which the court unanimously agreed the denial of passport on national security ground is justified, despite the arguments of lawyer Johanne Doyon. Kamel launched an appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada
but the court declined to hear his case and thus ends the legality challenge of the Canadian Passport Order.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment.
He was released early for good behaviour, and returned to Canada.
Life
Kamel is believed to have fought the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, and moved to Canada in 1987 or 1988.He married a schoolteacher in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, and was granted Canadian citizenship in 1993, and owned the Aristanat Nord-Sud Craft Store in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
He was injured in the foot while fighting in Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
. In 1996, following the Bosnian War
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
, he stated to friends that he would "prefer to die than go to jail", speaking of how he almost lost his wife and newborn son. When authorities pursued French militant Christophe Caze, it was discovered that his address book contained the contact information of Kamel.
Returning to Canada, he is alleged to have led a group of radical Montreal Islamists, including Ahmed Ressam
Ahmed Ressam
Ahmed Ressam is an Algerian al-Qaeda member who lived in Montreal, Canada.He was convicted of attempting to bomb the Los Angeles International Airport on New Year's Eve 1999, as part of the foiled 2000 millennium attack plots...
. In 1991 he is believed to have attended an Afghan training camp
Afghan training camp
An Afghan training camp is a camp or facility used for militant training located in pre-2002 Afghanistan. At the time of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Indian intelligence officials estimated that there were over 120 training camps operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan, run by a variety of...
, and returned to Montreal where he stole money and identity documents to support his group's plans to bomb Parisian metro stations, and a series of attacks in the city of Roubaix
Roubaix
Roubaix is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is located between the cities of Lille and Tourcoing.The Gare de Roubaix railway station offers connections to Lille, Tourcoing, Antwerp, Ostend and Paris.-Culture:...
.
Described as possessing a "slick, polished exterior" and "especially handsome", he traveled between Milan, Montreal, Paris, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Zagreb, Bosnia, Copenhagen, Australia, Slovenia, Freibourg, Morocco, Acone, Istanbul, Belgium and Amsterdam over a period of three years from 1994-97. Evan Kohlmann
Evan Kohlmann
Evan F. Kohlmann is an American terrorism consultant who has worked for the FBI and other governmental organizations.He is a contributor to the Counterterrorism Blog, a senior investigator with The Nine Eleven Finding Answers Foundation, and a terrorism analyst for NBC News.-Early life and...
has suggested that he served as third-in-command of a Zenica
Zenica
Zenica is an industrial city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the capital of the Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity...
mujahideen battalion during 1995 under Abdelkader Mokhtari
Abdelkader Mokhtari
Abdelkader Mokhtari is an Arab commander who became a "sacred legend" for the Bosnian mujahideen in the Bosnian War.-Life:...
.
Arrest
He was arrested in Jordan in March 1999, and extradited to France, where he was convicted and sentenced to eight years' imprisonment for providing false passports in support of terrorism.After his early release from prison for good behaviour, he returned to Montreal in January 2005, where he was living with his wife and son until Canada brought deportation
Deportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
orders against him.
Return to Canada
Kamel returned to Canada on January 29, 2005. Conservative Public SafetyPublic Safety
Public safety involves the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety of the general public from significant danger, injury/harm, or damage, such as crimes or disasters .-See also:* By nation...
critic Peter MacKay
Peter MacKay
Peter Gordon MacKay, PC, QC, MP is a lawyer and politician from Nova Scotia, Canada. He is the Member of Parliament for Central Nova and currently serves as Minister of National Defence in the Cabinet of Canada....
urged the government to revoke his citizenship and deport the "bad dude" to Algeria. Some critics alleged he was being allowed to return simply to allow the Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Canadian Security Intelligence Service
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service is Canada's national intelligence service. It is responsible for collecting, analyzing, reporting and disseminating intelligence on threats to Canada's national security, and conducting operations, covert and overt, within Canada and abroad.Its...
to track his movements to discover future plots.
Five months after returning to Canada, Kamel applied for a passport explaining that he needed to fly to Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
on a business trip. On November 30, Pierre Pettigrew
Pierre Pettigrew
Pierre Stewart Pettigrew, PC is a Canadian politician.Born in Quebec City, Pettigrew has a BA in Philosophy from the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières and an M.Phil in International Relations from Oxford University...
wrote an internal memo suggesting the application be denied, which it was. In March 2008, Federal Court
Federal Court of Canada
The Federal Court of Canada was a national court of Canada that heard some types of disputes arising under the central government's legislative jurisdiction...
justice Simon Noel
Simon Noël
Simon Noël is a judge currently serving on the Federal Court of Canada.From 1979-81, he acted as counsel on the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Certain Activities of the RCMP, and co-chief prosecutor on the Commission reviewing the Somalia Affair.He is a resident of Gatineau, Quebec.-References:...
ruled that this had infringed Kamel's rights under the Canadian Charter.
However, the ruling was set aside by the Federal Court of Appeal in January 2009 in which the court unanimously agreed the denial of passport on national security ground is justified, despite the arguments of lawyer Johanne Doyon. Kamel launched an appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...
but the court declined to hear his case and thus ends the legality challenge of the Canadian Passport Order.