Saudi Born Terror Suspect Released By Canadian Officials

Canadian officials have released Khaled Nawaya from custody after they claim that the Saudi-born man who entered Canada on a visa was carrying huge amounts of Canadian coins along with terror-related items is not a terror risk.

From the article at The Globe and Mail:

Mr. Nawaya never made it past the border guards on Oct. 6. After authorities spotted the gold cache, they also found a ring with a Hezbollah insignia, 9/11 videotapes and a scarf that depicted a former U.S. leader and former Israeli prime minister as monkeys. With security suspicions raised, a flurry of calls to embassies around the globe ensued and Mr. Nawaya spent his first night in Canada in a prison cell.

Mr. Rankin said he hoped Immigration officials are kind. If border officials are satisfied Mr. Nawaya is not a security threat, they should permit him to stay in Canada as planned. Criminal charges recommended by the RCMP have not been laid.

So, the government of Canada has decided that there isn't enough evidence to hold this asshat and we can see from the article that all of the discussion is about the pile of gold coins...but I have a question. Why does this guy have 9/11 tapes? Why does this guy have caricatures depicting Israelis as monkeys? Why does this guy have a Hezbollah ring?

A note to my friends in Canada - I wouldn't be too thrilled if this guy ends up moving in next door to you.

Flight instructor released after month in custody


A A Saudi-born flight instructor who was stopped at the Canadian border with nearly $1-million in his van has been released from custody as terrorism suspicions against him appeared to wane.
But Khaled Nawaya, 34, who was arrested last month while moving to Canada with about $800,000 in undeclared Canadian mint gold coins, still faces legal and immigration woes.
Mr. Nawaya never made it past the border guards on Oct. 6. After authorities spotted the gold cache, they also found a ring with a Hezbollah insignia, 9/11 videotapes and a scarf that depicted a former U.S. leader and former Israeli prime minister as monkeys. With security suspicions raised, a flurry of calls to embassies around the globe ensued and Mr. Nawaya spent his first night in Canada in a prison cell.
Mounties suspected the money was “terrorist resources” and recommended that Mr. Nawaya be charged under the Proceeds of Crime and Terrorist Financing Act.
But these worst-case suspicions appear to be evaporating, and Thursday, the Immigration and Refugee Board released Mr. Nawaya on the condition that he provide border officials with proof that his money came from legitimate sources.
Outside the hearing, Mr. Nawaya's lawyer, Phil Rankin, said his client made an honest – although “bone-headed” – mistake by attempting to drive a van filled with undeclared gold across the Canadian border.
Mr. Nawaya's assets didn't come from terrorism, Mr. Rankin said. Much of his money is from a $400,000 settlement from a university that bungled his U.S. student visa status. The rest was savings from eight years of working as a flight instructor in Oakland, Calif.
Asked why he didn't transfer his assets through a bank wire, Mr. Rankin said Mr. Nawaya lost trust in the U.S. banking system and believed Canadian gold coins were a safer bet.
On Thursday Mr. Nawaya appeared subdued and still shaken as he tasted his first moments of freedom in Canada. He told reporters he was happy to be released from custody and said he still wants to stay.
Mr. Rankin said he understands why border guards were suspicious and doesn't believe his client was the victim of profiling.
“I sense this is a situation that he brought on himself,” Mr. Rankin said. A Muslim man showing up at the border with a van piled to the ceiling with various belongings is going to be thoroughly checked, he said. The money was one thing, but when combined with the scarf, the Hezbollah ring and the 9/11 videotapes, it's not surprising Mr. Nawaya was arrested on the spot.
“I wouldn't go to Cairo, Egypt, with my star of David,” Mr. Rankin said.
But Mr. Nawaya told reporters that racial stereotyping does exist. “Not everyone who comes from the Middle East is a bad person,” he said. “There are a lot of good people out there.”
During their search of Mr. Nawaya's van, border officials seized $70,000 in cash, about $800,000 in Canadian mint gold coins and other $10,000 in cash from his pockets.
Although Mr. Nawaya was a free man last night, law officials still have his money. As for his immigration status, although Mr. Nawaya had obtained a permanent residence visa to move to Canada, he was never officially “landed” at the border because of his arrest. At some point, he must return to the border and have his immigration status settled.
Mr. Rankin said he hoped Immigration officials are kind. If border officials are satisfied Mr. Nawaya is not a security threat, they should permit him to stay in Canada as planned. Criminal charges recommended by the RCMP have not been laid.
Mr. Nawaya, who has two university degrees and a pilot's licence, was a flight instructor at an Oakland, Calif., flying club. Born in Saudi Arabia, he moved to the United States at age 17. During his years there, Mr. Nawaya was picked up and interviewed by U.S. Immigration authorities – mostly over his student status – but was never charged with anything.
His brother, Ammar Nawaya, who bought the gold coins for his sibling over the Internet, said Khaled Nawaya wanted to start a new life in Canada.
Asked why his brother wanted to transfer his assets to gold coins, Mr. Nawaya was evasive, and admitted, in hindsight, it wasn't the wisest move.
“My advice to anyone would be to call an attorney, it's much cheaper,” Mr. Nawaya said. “I will be honest. My brother walking on the streets, having freedom, is all that I want to see right now. Anything else is really secondary.”