Montreal Muslim community denies mosque is a terror hub

A local Muslim spokesman says new WikiLeaks documents that describe a Montreal mosque as a terror hub are defamatory.

They claim a Mauritanian terror suspect being held at Guantanamo Bay was the leader of aMontreal-based al-Qaida cell that planned attacks in the States. They also say that members of al-Qaida were recruited and trained at Montreal’s Al Sunnah Al Nabawiah Mosque, where the suspect served briefly.

The chairman of the Muslim Council of Montreal says the documents serve as an example of how the community’s institutions are unfairly targeted by authorities.

The suspect’s name is Mohamedou Ould Salahi. According to documents, Salahi was linked to the “Millenium Bomber” who planned attacks on the Los Angeles Airport eleven years ago. He has also been accused of facilitating the training of hijackers involved in the terrorist attacks of September eleventh.

Several Montreal mosques have been brought to the attention of authorities since the late nineties. Al-Qods is another one mentioned in the WikiLeaks documents. It made headlines in two thousand and seven when Canadian immigration officials deported its imam, Said Jaziri, for falsifying his refugee application.