Posted on 08/24/2006 4:23:02 AM PDT by Clive
TORONTO (CP) - Two more Canadian men face extradition to the U.S. after a joint RCMP and FBI probe into the alleged activities of the Tamil Tigers, a listed terrorist organization.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the men were arrested in Ontario at the request of U.S. authorities. "We arrested them on behalf of what's called a provisional warrant," said RCMP Sgt. Michele Paradis. "It allows arrests to be made based on charges from countries other than our own."
Canadian resident Ramanan Mylvaganam, 29, was picked up Tuesday in Mississauga, Ont. He appeared in a Brampton, Ont., court on Wednesday and was remanded to Friday.
Thirty-year-old Piratheepan Nadarajah, another Canadian resident, was taken into custody Wednesday evening in Toronto. He was to appear in Brampton court on Thursday.
Paradis said an extradition hearing would be held "down the line."
Wednesday's arrest brings to 11 the number of alleged Tamil Tiger supporters rounded up by authorities in Canada and the U.S.
Suresh Sriskandarajah, 26, was arrested in Canada on a provisional warrant on Monday.
Eight others were arrested in the U.S., including three more Canadians - Sathajhan Sarachandran, Sahilal Sabaratnam, and Thiruthanikan Thanigasalam - for allegedly engaging in terrorist procurement activities.
They face charges of conspiring to buy weapons to allegedly help the Tamil Tigers in their escalating fight for a separate homeland in Sri Lanka.
American authorities allege three of the accused travelled to New York from Canada to try to buy weapons, including missiles, launchers and AK-47s.
The charges against the men also include fundraising and money laundering through "front" charitable organizations and U.S. bank accounts.
Paradis confirmed the latest arrests were part of the joint operation, but couldn't detail the exact charges or what led to the arrests.
"There is an effort made to determine where the alleged criminal offence happened and that's the jurisdiction in which the charges will be laid. In this case those charges were laid in the U.S.," she said.
"Any information to specifics on the charges have to come solely from the U.S. authorities."
The RCMP also wouldn't say if more arrests were imminent, only that the investigation is on-going and that there is no known direct threat against Canada.
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