80 Canadians Under Police Radar, Suspected ISIS Fighters

Canada's top intelligence and police officials are currently keeping watchful eyes on some 80 Canadians who have recently returned from overseas. They are highly suspected of planning and carrying out terrorist activity on Canadian soil.

Michel Coulombe, head of Canadian Security Intelligence Service, or CSIS, said there still continues to be no signs of an imminent terrorist attack against the country. But he added the agency is not taking chances and that he had ordered for the close monitoring of the 80 suspected Canadian terrorists.

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He admitted pertinent charges have yet to be filed against the individuals because they are still trying to gather solid evidence to strengthen the agency's terrorist claims against them. But Coulombe said the CSIS "know[s] where they are."

Steven Blaney, Public Safety Minister, shed light that not all suspected terrorists under the radar of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or RCMP, came from Iraq and Syria. Coulombe said they came from various "several groups in addition to ISIS," including "Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Lebanon, in the Sahel, in the Maghreb, that are involved in terrorist-related activities." Some of them had been involved in fund raising and propaganda.

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Combatting terrorism today is different and has become challenging, what with the creation of social media platforms, forums and other instruments on the Internet, Coulombe said. He noted it has become hard to shut down the communication tools used by the groups because they can always create a new one the next day, if not the next minute.

"You can close a website, it can appear the next morning, the servers are quite often not in this country," he said at a parliamentary committee on Wednesday.

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Bob Paulson, RCMP Commissioner, said 63 active national security investigations are currently being conducted on 90 individuals who are suspected of possible terrorist activity. On Tuesday, the SITE Intelligence Group, a company that tracks the online activities of militant Islamic groups, alleged it found on Twitter a post calling for attacks on Canada. It claimed it was posted by an Islamic State fighter identified as Abu Khalid Al-Kanadi.

The revelation on the suspected 80 Canadian terrorists came a day after Canadian lawmakers approved to join the air campaign against the extremist ISIS in Iraq. Specifically, Canada's participation to the air campaign that will last for six months will involve the presence of six Canadian fighter-bombers, two CP-140 surveillance planes, one refuelling aircraft and 600 personnel. No troops will be sent on the ground.

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U.S. intelligence data has estimated there are at least 15,000 foreign fighters who have become jihadists in Syria. They come from 80 nations.

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