Via Rail accused guilty of terror conspiracy
TORONTO – Two men accused of plotting to derail a passenger train travelling between Canada and the U.S. were found guilty of eight terrorism charges Friday, while a mistrial was declared on a ninth charge after the jury reached an impasse.
After a marathon 10 days of deliberations, the 12-member panel found Raed Jaser and Chiheb Esseghaier guilty of a terror-related conspiracy to commit murder, which carries a sentence of up to life in prison.
Jurors also convicted both men of two counts of participating in, or contributing to, the activity of a terrorist group. Esseghaier was found guilty of an additional count of the same offence.
The jury, however, remained deadlocked on a charge of a terrorism-related conspiracy to damage transportation property — in this case, a railway bridge.