'Get inside, Get inside!' police shout
By VIVIAN SONG
TORONTO - Bob's 14-year-old daughter had been roller blading outside her house when suddenly fully armoured police officers spilled out of a tactical truck and shut down their neighbourhood.
"Get inside, get inside!" police, their guns drawn, shouted before storming a nearby house.
Bob -- not his real name -- recounted what happened in their normally quiet Mississauga neighbourhood last night saying the takedown was anything but routine.
Police would not confirm the incident is related to last night's arrests.
At about 6:30 p.m., Rosehurst Dr. became a scene straight out of a TV police drama.
"My daughter came running inside saying (the police) were here, busting somebody's door down," he said.
LOCKED DOWN
Though police had locked down the neighbourhood, Bob snuck outside and watched the drama unfold as half a dozen officers surrounded the house, their guns drawn.
After hearing a "big bang," which he couldn't identify, about eight officers that had stormed the house emerged with a heavy-set man Bob described as being in his mid-50s, with black hair and a black beard. He appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent, Bob said.
"They had him out in handcuffs and he wasn't resisting."
Later, two officers in white quarantine suits were seen entering the house, but Bob said he didn't see them take anything out.
SUSPICIOUS SCENE
In another twist, a few days ago a man and woman sitting idly in car on his street raised his suspicions.
"They were sitting outside by the street, doing nothing, just sitting there," Bob said.
He approached the pair, concerned they could be child predators.
When asked, "What are you doing here?" the pair apparently answered, "We're here to make your community safer."
He estimates the family moved to the new subdivision about two months ago. The family of four includes two children, a girl aged 16 and a boy aged about 10, who have been seen playing basketball outside.
TORONTO - In a stunning development yesterday, police made a sweeping terrorist bust within the GTA and expected to make several more arrests throughout the night.
"The RCMP, CSIS and the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team arrested individuals throughout the GTA today in relation to terrorist-related offences," confirmed RCMP spokesman Corp. Michele Paradis.
As of about 9 p.m. last night, Paradis also added "there are ongoing arrests."
Though unconfirmed, sources have told the Sun police arrested a possible home-grown al-Qaeda terrorist cell operating in Toronto that had planned to bomb the subway as early as Monday.
Just three days ago, Sun columnist Joe Warmington wrote about two men spotted filming the subway system on May 23 at Keele station, which raised alarm bells with Toronto Police and CSIS.
But sources also tell the Sun that the RCMP "planted" that story with the media, though reasons remain unclear.
Police had been watching several alleged terrorist camps since 2004 -- one of which is reported to be in the Muskokas near Bracebridge and another near Thunder Bay, a police source told Warmington late last night.
"Recently some officers followed two men who left the camp near Thunder Bay and headed to Toronto," said the source.
Another Sun source said there was a similar "terrorist" camp near Barry's Bay -- within an hour's drive of several Ontario nuclear operations.
Other source also tell the Sun the arrested individuals were amassing weapons.
"This is huge, this is massive."
Sources cited by the Canadian Press corroborate this claim, saying the suspects were arrested in the Toronto area for allegedly "plotting an attack with explosives."
"It is very serious," said a source who asked not to be named. "These people had plans."
While the targets were unclear, the aim was to detonate an explosive device in Ontario, they said.
"That's the tool of choice for anybody who wants to cause damage."
The enforcement team also includes GTA police forces and the department of justice.
Officials remained tight-lipped about the nature of the arrests, refusing to reveal the number of people arrested, who was arrested, the nature of the terrorist activities, when or where the arrests were made, fuelling conflicting reports.
Some news outlets discounted allegations the subway or the CN Tower were targets, and claimed the terrorists involved are not directly afilliated with al-Qaeda, but were inspired by them.
Others pegged the number of arrested at eight, and said the investigation involved around a hundred officers.
In November of 2002, al-Qaeda singled out six countries for supporting "the White House gang of butchers." Among them: Great Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Australia and Canada. Terrorists bombed London's subway system last July, killing 52 people.
Meanwhile, a quiet Mississauga neighbourhood got a shocking visit from ETF officers who stormed the new subdivision and busted down the door of a Rosehurst Dr. home at about 6:30 p.m. One neighbour described the arrested man as heavyset, in his mid-50s with black hair and a beard, who appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent.
At 7:15 p.m. last night, a highly unusual scene on the Gardiner Expressway raised the suspicions of Sun photo editor Rick VanSickle when he saw an ambulance flanked by two police cars driving east toward the city. VanSickle was between Islington and Royal York at the time and also saw a nondescript car and unmarked silver minivan with police lights parked at the side of the road.
"Normally when I see an ambulance there is no police escort. That's what struck me," he said.
The RCMP is expected to make some details available today at a news conference at the Toronto Congress Centre on Dixon Rd., also an unusual venue for such an announcement.
At the Durham Regional Police Station at Hwy. 2 and Brock Rd., where it was speculated the arrested are being detained, at least three police officers armed with machineguns patrolled the building, which was sealed off with yellow tape.
Scores of police cars, officers and dogs also kept vigil over the the heavily guarded building, keeping media outlets outside.
A convoy of SUVs, unmarked cars and minivans parked at the side of the building also appeared to hold some people.
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Please note there are nuclear plants at Pickering and at Chalk River, the latter being 1 hour from Barry's Bay.