Two decades after one of Canada's most notorious terror cases, its central figure is set to live in the community under supervision. Zakaria Amara, ringleader of the failed 2006 'Toronto 18' plot, has been granted full parole, CBC Toronto reported on October 17.
The Parole Board of Canada found that Amara no longer shows signs of extremist beliefs or radical ideologies — the assessment that opened the door to full parole after years of gradual, escorted and then day-parole releases.
Amara was the leader of the group arrested in the sweeping 2006 raids that made headlines around the world. The cell had planned bomb attacks on targets in downtown Toronto and a military base, and had trained at a camp north of the city. Amara pleaded guilty and received a life sentence, the harshest handed down in the case.
The decision is running as one of the top Toronto and national headlines this weekend, reviving debate over how the parole system weighs rehabilitation against the gravity of a plot that, had it succeeded, would have been the deadliest terror attack in Canadian history.
Full parole does not end his sentence: Amara remains under Correctional Service supervision and conditions for the balance of his term, and any breach can return him to custody.
