Project O Canada

Growing out of an earlier project begun in 1997, project initially focused on the actions and acquaintances of NGO-worker Ahmed Khadr, who was believed to be financially supporting Islamic militants in Afghanistan. They also investigated claims from local residents that a man who resembled Mohamed Atta had worked part-time at the Best Copy copy shop in downtown Toronto, seizing the store's records and investigating its customers, adding a number of them to an Interpol database. and a month later reported they had "undertaken 24-hour surveillance of at least five suspected supporters of Osama bin Laden." ==Expansion of the project==

In October 2001, the RCMP's Toronto office met with Ottawa officers in Newmarket, Ontario and requested they form a Project A-O division. Project C-O meanwhile put Abdelrahman, the younger brother of Mohamad Elzahabi working as a mechanic in Montreal, "under a microscope". Ontario Provincial Police officers were also tasked to help the Federal police agency. ==Actions==

The Ottawa office, under the control of Cpl. Randal Walsh, and Supt. Mike Cabana, In January 2002, Cpl. Randy Walsh received search warrants to raid seven homes, although later analysis suggested that if he had been honest about their evidence before the judge, the warrants would not have been granted. A publication ban initially prevented the media from reporting the identities of those targeted, although later reports confirmed which buildings had been searched. • The Montreal home and business of Ibrahym Adam, the mechanic who gave el-Maati a job. leading to tension between RCMP headquarters and the anti-terrorism project. In August, after Almalki was arrested in Syria - Project A-O officers wanted to send Syria information about him, as well as a list of questions that they wanted him to answer, stating that "Depending on his willingness to answer truthfully and depending on the answers he provides you, a second series of questions has been prepared for him". In September 2002, the A-O division began asking the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) to help them secure the ability to travel to Syria to interrogate Almalki themselves, or at least direct how he would be interrogated by Syrians. When DFAIT officer Jonathan Solomon demanded to know whether they would be clear not to use torture, since it had already been used against Ahmed el-Maati, A-O Division officers "got awkward" and Cabana claimed that it was possible that el-Maati had just been lying about Syria using torture. Arar was subsequently arrested and deported to Syria where he was tortured for ten months before being found innocent of any wrongdoing. The project also sent officers to Pakistan in 2005, after it was announced that Khadr's son Abdullah had been arrested. Abdullah stated that when he was about 14 years old, his father had purchased two pairs of walkie talkies from Almalki, although his lawyers later argued the statement had been made due to his mistreatment by Pakistani officials. ==Members==

Toronto Members Ottawa Members ==Fallout==

After it was discovered that Canadian authorities had been complicit in the rendition and torture of an innocent Canadian, a Royal Commission was formed to investigate. Project A-O figured prominently in the explanation of Canada's anti-terrorism investigations, while attorney Don Bayne unsuccessfully argued that since the RCMP couldn't disclose full information due to national security concerns, it therefore shouldn't have to disclose any information about the project. The Commission determined that the Project A-O officers "lacked experience and training in conducting national security investigations". ==See also==