The terrorism trial of Mohammad Momin Khawaja, an Ottawa software developer, has been hampered by logistical complications in getting his ex-fiancée to testify via video link. (Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press)

Logisitical hurdles prevented the former fiancée of Mohammad Momin Khawaja from testifying via video link Wednesday at his Ottawa trial on terrorism charges.

The eight-hour time difference between Ottawa and Dubai, where Zeba Khan lives, as well as ambiguous e-mails between the parties attempting to co-ordinate her testimony, undermined efforts to have her appear as the Crown's final witness.

After a series of e-mails between Khan's current husband, the Crown and lawyers for the defence, it now appears she will not be available to talk about her jihad-related correspondence with Khawaja until Tuesday.

Crown prosecutors had indicated they would have no questions for Khan and would leave it to Khawaja's defence lawyer to cross-examine her.

Khan is a Pakistani-born woman who once exchanged e-mails with Khawaja about the ethics and merits of waging jihad against Western interests.

On Monday, over the defence's objections, those e-mails were ruled admissible as evidence in Khawaja's trial on seven charges of financing and facilitating terrorism as part of a plot to set off a fertilizer bomb in England.

'Cripple and fall'

In one communication in particular, Khawaja goes on at length about his interpretation of jihad. He refers to economic jihad, or holy war, as being important to cripple and bankrupt enemy governments and economies.

"We need [constant] economic J [jihad] blow after blow until they cripple and fall never to rise again," he writes.

In another e-mail, he writes: "What did Sept. 11 do to America? Because of Sept. 11, the airline industry is dead, travel and tourism dead, the U.S. dollar is dead, and the economy is practically in a state of recession … Would you not say that the actions of 19 men on Sept. 11 are the most accurate, effective and honorable way of conducting economic J? Imagine if there were 10 Sept. 11s."

The correspondence dates to late 2003, before Khawaja and Khan broke off their engagement.

A 29-year-old former software developer, Khawaja is the first person charged under Canada's Anti-terrorism Act. As part of the charges, he is accused of building the remote-control device for detonating a bomb.

Khawaja was working for the federal Foreign Affairs Department when he was arrested in 2004. He has pleaded not guilty. Five of his alleged co-conspirators were convicted last year by a British court and sentenced to life in prison.