RCMP Charge Toronto Father, Son in Alleged ISIS Terrorism Plot

An RCMP patch is seen on the shoulder of an assistant commissioner, in Surrey, B.C., on April 28, 2023. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

The RCMP say they have arrested and charged a Toronto father and son in relation to an ISIS terrorism plot.

The two “were in the advanced stages of a serious, violent attack in Toronto,” according to an RCMP release on July 31.

Ahmed Eldidi, 62, and Mostafa Eldidi, 26, have each been charged with participation in the activities of a terrorist group, facilitating terrorist activity, one count each of possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose, and conspiracy to commit murder.

Ahmed Elidid is also facing a charge of aggravated assault.

The charges were announced by RCMP during a July 31 press conference at the RCMP Detachment in Newmarket, Ont.

The father and son were arrested at a hotel in Richmond Hill on July 28 following a month-long investigation. The pair were in possession of an axe and a machete at the hotel when they were arrested, RCMP said.

“They were charged with having particular weapons. In other words, we’re pretty confident how close they were to moving from simply having those tools and then moving on to actioning that threat,” said RCMP Supt. James Parr at the news conference when asked by reporters about what kind of attack the pair were allegedly planning.

Police say they are still investigating to determine the target of the attack but that there is no remaining risk to the public.

The father and son are Canadian citizens and residents of Toronto, RCMP said. The suspects were not previously known to police. Both father and son are scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 1.

ISIS, also known as the Islamic State or Daesh, has been listed by the Canadian government as a terrorist organization since 2012.

The news comes days after another Canadian was convicted on terrorism charges in the United Kingdom.

Edmonton resident Khaled Hussein, 29, was sentenced to five years in prison by a British court on July 30 for his membership in a “proscribed terrorist organization.”

Hussein was handed his sentence in a Crown court at Woolwich, alongside British radical Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary.

The two men were convicted for their involvement in Al-Muhajiroun, a group seeking to establish an Islamic theocracy and was listed as a terrorist entity in the UK in 2010.

Police identified Hussein as a person of interest in October 2019. An investigation found that he was allegedly heavily involved with the Islamic Thinkers Society, an alternative name for the Al-Muhajiroun. A number of former Al-Muhajiroun followers have been linked to terror plots, including two separate attacks in London in 2017.

Canadian police discovered that Hussein had plans to travel to England and informed UK authorities. Hussein was arrested in July 2023 when he landed in London.