Buffalo, New York Area Congressman Commends Efforts To Thwart Possible Canada/Via Rail Train Attack

(A Brief Foreword by NAL publisher Doug Draper – This media release, from the office of Buffalo, New York area Congressman Brian Higgins, come right off the news this April 22 that Canada’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police, working in concert with intelligence agencies in the United States, arrested two men in Toronto and Montreal they allege had ties to al-Qaeda operatives in Iran while plotting an attack on a Via Rail passenger train running between Toronto and destinations in the U.S.

By chance or not, the arrest of the men was announced at an RCMP media conference that had all the trappings of one that was well-orchestrated and had been planned days in advance, and it came at a time when Canada’s Harper government began facing parliamentary debate over a government-sponsored counterterrorism bill that, as The Globe and Mail put it in a story this April 23, “seeks Parliament’s authority to curb civil liberties in the name of keeping Canadians safe.”

Hmm. At any rate, here is the media release form Congressman Higgins.)

Submitted by the Office of U.S. Congressman Brian Higgins

U.S. Congressman Brian Higgins, representing the Western New York/Buffalo area, on floor of Congress

April 22, 2013 – “First and foremost, I commend the work of Canadian and United States intelligence and law enforcement agencies for successful efforts to thwart an attack on our nations.   The US and Canada, linked literally and figuratively by bridges of peace, remain vigilant partners in our efforts to impede terrorists actions on our soil.  

 “Canadian authorities reported today that individuals, supported by al Qaeda elements located in Iran, had the capacity and intent to proceed with an attack along our border.  After receiving testimony about Hezbollah’s growing presence in the United States and Canada, including Toronto, last year I pushed through Congress and got signed into law legislation that requires the State Department to report on Hezbollah’s activities in the United States and Canada. Although Hezbollah and al-Qaeda are different entities, the rationale for this vigilance is the same.

 “I have long argued the importance of a national security focus in and around Western New York.  The Buffalo-Niagara region sits within a 500 mile radius of 55% of the American population and 62% of the Canadian population.  I plan to work with federal agencies to seek intelligence that helps us learn from this plot and push for measures to strengthen protection efforts throughout the region.”

 Background:

Rep.  Higgins is a member of the House Committees on Homeland Security and Foreign Affairs and serves on the US-Canada Inter-Parliamentary Group.   Higgins is the Ranking Member on the Homeland Security Counterterrorism and Intelligence Subcommittee.  His congressional district of Western New York, which includes the Cities of Buffalo and Niagara Falls, borders Canada and includes three automobile and two rail border crossings along the northern border.  The Buffalo Niagara region sits along two Great Lakes which represent the largest fresh water supply in the world; is home to the Niagara Power Project which serves as the largest electricity producer in New York State; and the homegrown al-Qaeda terrorist cell, the Lackawanna Six

 More on Higgins’ Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere Act:

http://higgins.house.gov/2012/09/higgins-lauds-passage-of-legislation-to-tackle-hezbollahs-presence-in-western-hemisphere.shtml 

Niagara At Large invites you to check out a CBC story on the arrest of two alleged terrorist plotters in Canada by clicking on http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/04/22/pol-terror-plot-ontario-quebec-arrests.html .

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