Canadian backers of Tigers may get longer penalties
Last Updated: Monday, January 11, 2010 | 3:54 PM ET
CBC News
Related
Internal Links
This court sketch shows Nadarasa Yogarasa, who is among the Tamil-Canadians charged with trying to buy rockets and weapons for the Tamil Tigers separatist group in Sri Lanka. (Christine Cornell/CBC) U.S. prosecutors are seeking tougher sentences for three Tamil-Canadians who were caught by the FBI trying to buy anti-aircraft missiles and other weapons for the Tamil Tigers three years ago.
Toronto residents Suhil Sabaratnam and Thiruthanikan (Thani) Thanigasalam were due in court for a sentencing hearing in New York on Monday. Both have pleaded guilty to conspiracy and material support for terrorism and were facing possible sentences of 25 years to life. Two others — Nadarasa Yogarasa, also a Canadian resident, and Sathajhan Sarachandran — have pleaded guilty in connection with the undercover FBI sting operation.
The proceedings were postponed until Jan. 22. because the prosecutors want heavier sentences. They're arguing that in addition to the current charges, the men's plan to buy the weapons constituted an act of domestic terrorism.
Domestic terrorism, as defined in the Patriot Act, "involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State."
The defence lawyers insist the illegal arms would not have been used against Americans or in the U.S. and the men's actions should not be considered domestic terrorism.
On Aug. 19, 2006, the men drove from Toronto to Long Island, N.Y., to meet "Vinny," a man they believed was a Mafia arms dealer but was actually an undercover FBI agent.
The agent showed Sabaratnam and Thanigasalam a crate containing a Stinger missile and its firing tube.
After making a cellphone call to Tamil Tiger bosses in Sri Lanka, Thanagasalam ordered 10 SA-18 heat-seeking anti-aircraft missiles and launchers, 500 AK-47 assault rifles and other military equipment, the FBI said.
The weapons were to be used by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam, or LTTE, to shoot down Kfir aircraft used by the Sri Lankan military, the FBI said.
Share Tools
Top News Headlines
- Drummond report on Ontario calls for cutbacks
- The Ontario government must curtail its spending with the kind of cuts not seen since the Mike Harris years, according to a report by former TD Bank chief economist Don Drummond. more »
- Children of immigrants challenged at school, home
- By 2016, foreign-born youth and Canadian-born youth from immigrant families will make up a quarter of the country's population, according to predictions by the Canadian Council on Social Development. As their numbers grow, more attention is being paid to their successes and failures. more »
- B.C. house party trial hears from tearful teens
- Two teenagers cried as they testified at the trial of a B.C. woman who was charged after a teen died while her son was hosting a party at her house in 2008. more »
- Whitney Houston funeral to be livestreamed
- Whitney Houston's funeral will be livestreamed, to satisfy the desire of fans to grieve alongside family members at the Saturday memorial. more »
Latest World News Headlines
- Syria's Assad calls for vote but steps up assault
- As Syrian forces stepped up their assault on rebellious cities, President Bashar al-Assad ordered a referendum on a new constitution that would create a multiparty system in a country that has been ruled by his autocratic family dynasty for 40 years. more »
- Honduras prison fire kills hundreds
- A fire started by an inmate tore through a severely overcrowded Honduran prison, burning and suffocating inmates in their locked cells and killing as many as 356 people in one of the world's deadliest prison fires in a century, authorities said Wednesday. more »
- Malnutrition kills 2 million kids a year
- Five children around the world die every minute because of chronic malnutrition, according to a new report. more »
- Whitney Houston's funeral to be held Saturday
- Pop star Whitney Houston's funeral service will be held Saturday in the New Jersey church where she first showcased her singing talents as a child. more »
- Syria oil pipeline blast
- An explosion hit a major oil pipeline feeding a refinery in Homs, Syria, on Wednesday, witnesses say. The blast struck the pipeline near a district being shelled by government troops. more »
Dispatches »
- Syrian refugees' defiance and division Feb. 14, 2012 4:48 PM With the deadly game in Syria changing almost daily, CBC's Derek Stoffel in Turkey met militant refugees who reflect the division in the rebel forces about whether to go it alone or wait for the international community to back them against the current regime.
Connect Newsroom Blog
Second Chances, Lin-sanity & Nanaimo Love Feb. 14, 2012 5:55 PM Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks are in Toronto tonight and we're going to find out what all the fuss is about.
- Drummond report on Ontario calls for cutbacks
- Barefoot girl's icy trek not blamed on babysitter
- Immigrants the proudest Canadians, poll suggests
- Honduras prison fire kills hundreds
- NDP MPs urged to scrap gun registry in final vote
- Canadian housing market cools in January
- Legalize pot, say former B.C. attorneys general
- Russians' abusive plane tirade to cost them $19K
- Bodyguard hired for bully victim in Fredericton
