RCMP won't confirm illegal border crossing
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CTV News Staff
The RCMP won't confirm reports that five men being sought by the FBI may have entered the United States illegally from Canada.
On Sunday, CNN reported that the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation was hunting for five men. They are: Abid Noraiz Ali, Iftikhar Khozmai Ali, Mustafa Khan Owasi, Adil Pervez and Akbar Jamal, all born between 1969 and 1983.
The FBI warned the names could be false, and refused to release countries of origin.
CNN quoted a source as saying the men entered the U.S. on or before Christmas Eve from Canada, but that could not be confirmed.
RCMP Staff Sergeant Andre Guertin told The Globe and Mail that they had previously been made aware of the situation before news of the situation broke on Sunday and had been cooperating with the U.S.
"I can state at this time that there is no reason for us to believe that (they came through Canada)."
John Iannarelli, and FBI spokesman, said Monday that it has not yet been confirmed whether the men entered the U.S. from Canada, the Toronto Star reported.
U.S. authorities said they had no specific information linking the five men to terrorist activities.
"I think it's very clear that they're being sought only for questioning," Mark Corallo, a spokesman with the American Department of Justice.
"We have no specific information that ties them to any terrorist activity."
David Harris, the former chief of strategic planning for CSIS, told CTV's Canada AM that the U.S. should be held responsible for any potential terrorists that enter its borders. However, he also said Canada has an obligation to make sure "we're not swimming in a pool of sharks."