Canada arrests 17 in terror raid

BBC

Police in Canada have arrested and charged 12 men who they say were planning an "al-Qaeda-inspired" bombing campaign in and around Toronto.
Five other youths have also been charged, following an investigation involving more than 400 officers.

Police seized bomb-making materials in a series of raids in Toronto, including three tonnes of ammonium nitrate.

Officials said the group "posed a real and serious threat" with "the capacity and intent to carry out these attacks".

Ammonium nitrate is a commonly-used fertiliser.

"To put it in context, the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City that killed 168 people was completed with only one ton of ammonium nitrate," said Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) assistant commissioner Mike McDonell.

"Our investigation and arrests prevented the assembly of any bombs and the attacks from being carried out," he added.

Southern Ontario is one of the country's main economic and business centres.