Bi-Weekly Briefing #7
21 January 2020
Patrik Matthews
On January 16, the New York Times reported that three men were arrested by the FBI. The men were arrested for their alleged involvement in ‘the Base’, which is a neo-Nazi group. One of the men arrested, Patrik Matthews, who previously was a reservist in the Canadian Army, went missing in late August after ‘Homegrown Hate’, published by the Winnipeg Free Press, detailed the Base’s attempts to recruit people throughout Winnipeg. These arrests come after the state of Virginia declared a state of emergency due to upcoming protests on January 20. The protests are expected to be pro-gun and attended by many far-right groups within the U.S.
NSIRA Releases Redacted Archive
On January 10, via tweet, the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA) announced that the agency will be releasing more than 270 reviews from its 35-year history. Previously, the Security Intelligence Review Committed reviewed the functions of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). The NSIRA was formally created on June 21, 2019 under the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency Act. The NSIRA reviews the national security actions of many Canadian agencies, including: CSIS, the Communications Security Establishment and Global Affairs Canada.
Complaint Sent to NSIRA
In early January, a case involving Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy was referred to the NSIRA. On January 6, Stewart Bell reported about the case for Global News. El Bahnasawy, a Canadian citizen, pleaded guilty in 2018 for planning attacks in the U.S. The complaint sent to NSIRA argued that the RCMP, alongside the FBI, proceeded with the investigation despite knowing about El Bahnasawy’s complex mental health issues. Ultimately, the complaint argues that the RCMP and FBI ‘entrapped’ El Bahnasawy.
Emergency Response Team Increasing Presence
Due to the recent Ukraine International Airlines crash in Iran, Global News reported that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) indicated they would be increasing security measures within Ottawa. Part of this increase in security will be to use the Emergency Response Team (ERT). Specifically, the ERT deal with increased national security threats to Canada. Although there is no current threat to Canadian security, the team is being used as a ‘cautionary’ measure.
Canada Reacts to Ukrainian International Airlines Flight Crash
Timeline
December 27, 2019: Nawres Hamid, a U.S contractor, killed by Iranian rockets that were targeting a base in Iraq
December 29, 2019: 24 people belonging to a militia in Iran were killed due to U.S airstrikes
Late December 2019 – Early January 2020: Ongoing protests against the American embassy in Baghdad, Iraq
January 3, 2020: Qasem Soleimani killed by a U.S. drone strike (Major General of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard and commander of the Quds Force)
January 8, 2020: In retaliation for the killing of Soleimani, Iran launches ballistic missiles against U.S. military bases in Iraq
January 8, 2020: After leaving Tehran airport, a Ukrainian International Airlines flight crashed killing 176 people. It was confirmed that that this flight was carrying 57 Canadian citizens and 138 of the passengers were travelling to Canada.
January 10, 2020: Iran confirms that ‘human error’ caused Iranian missiles to shoot down the Ukrainian International Airlines flight. Iran officially claims responsibility for the airplane’s crash.
Canada Reacts
On January 10, 2020, Iran confirmed that human error caused a Ukrainian International Airlines flight to crash shortly after leaving Tehran airport. The plane had 57 Canadian citizens on board and, out of the 176 people on the flight, 138 were travelling to Canada. In the aftermath of this disaster, people across Canada mourned the passengers. The flight leaving Tehran was popular for many people travelling to Canada, as it was the cheapest route to travel through Kyiv to get to Canada. It was learned that many passengers on board the flight were students who were returning to Canada. Many families were also killed who had spent the holidays in Iran with family. Over the past week, numerous universities and communities across Canada have held memorial services for people who died in the crash.
In response to this horrific incident, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assured Canadians he would try to understand why the plane had crashed. In a recent interview with Global National’s Dawna Friesen, Trudeau indicated that tensions throughout the region could be to blame for this incident. Further, Trudeau stated that Canadian officials did not receive any information about the U.S plan to kill Soleimani. Although unclear initially if Iran would allow Canada to assist with the investigations, it was recently confirmed that Canada will have access to the black box. One of the most significant questions after this disaster is what comes next for the Canadian families affected. On January 16, a meeting was held in London, England which was attended by the countries who had victims in the crash, including: Britain, Sweden, Afghanistan and the Ukraine. According to Global News, one of the suggestions was to address Iran through the United Nations Security Council. Further, Canada, amongst other countries, have requested compensation from Iran for families who lost family members in the crash. Many questions about the crash remain unanswered -- perhaps most perplexing is why a civilian airplane was allowed to fly so soon after missile strikes.