Canada has granted full parole to Zakaria Amara, the convicted Islamist terrorist who masterminded a plot to carry out devastating bomb attacks in Toronto, drawing sharp criticism from Conservatives nearly two decades after authorities dismantled the notorious Toronto 18 network.
The Parole Board of Canada announced on Friday, 16 October, that the 41-year-old no longer showed ‘any signs of holding onto extremist beliefs or radical ideologies’. Amara, sentenced to life imprisonment in 2010, had been on supervised day parole since 2022. The latest decision allows him to move into his own home, although he remains subject to restrictions and lifelong supervision.
Conservative Senator Leo Housakos responded with sarcasm, questioning the authorities’ confidence in the terrorist’s rehabilitation. ‘Don’t worry, Canadians! The terrorist who plotted to storm Parliament Hill and bomb Toronto has been miraculously cured of extremism,’ he wrote on X.
Senator Leo Housakos on X (formerly Twitter): “Dormez tranquilles, chers Canadiens! Le terroriste qui voulait prendre d’assaut la Colline du Parlement et faire sauter Toronto est miraculeusement guéri de son extrémisme.https://t.co/RhPwAOqoPp / X”
Dormez tranquilles, chers Canadiens! Le terroriste qui voulait prendre d’assaut la Colline du Parlement et faire sauter Toronto est miraculeusement guéri de son extrémisme.https://t.co/RhPwAOqoPp
Amara was a central figure in the Toronto 18, an al-Qaeda-inspired terrorist network uncovered in June 2006. The group recruited young extremists and organized paramilitary training camps, seeking to force Canada to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan through mass-casualty terrorist attacks.
The conspiracy involved two plots. One part of the group planned an armed assault on Parliament Hill, with the goal of assassinating then-prime minister Stephen Harper. Amara led the other group, which was preparing truck bombs targeting the Toronto Stock Exchange, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service’s regional headquarters and a military base east of Toronto.
Court proceedings established that the planned bombs would each contain approximately one tonne of ammonium nitrate mixed with diesel fuel. Amara developed detonators and arranged the acquisition of explosive materials before police, who had infiltrated the network, arrested him in June 2006. The attacks were prevented before any devices were detonated.
He pleaded guilty to terrorism offences in 2009 and received a life sentence the following year, with a ten-year parole-ineligibility period. His appeal was subsequently dismissed.
According to the Parole Board, Amara retained extremist attitudes during his initial years behind bars but began abandoning them around 2014. Authorities reported no security incidents or violations during his four years on day parole. He must nevertheless continue counselling, accept financial and communications monitoring, and avoid contact with former accomplices and extremists.
The decision has also revived controversy surrounding his Canadian citizenship. Born in Jordan, Amara was stripped of his Canadian nationality by Stephen Harper’s Conservative government in 2015, only to have it restored under legislation introduced by Justin Trudeau’s Liberals in 2017.
‘Many users demanded that his citizenship be revoked again and delivered harsh criticism of Canada’s parole system’
Parts of Canadian social media were similarly outraged by the decision, echoing Senator Housakos’s criticism. Many users demanded that his citizenship be revoked again and delivered harsh criticism of Canada’s parole system.
Amara now plans to move into his own home, continue working full-time and spend more time with his family, while regularly attending a mosque. His life sentence, however, remains in force, meaning he will remain under parole supervision for the rest of his life. Any violation of his release conditions, or renewed concerns about the threat he poses to public safety, could result in his parole being suspended and his return to prison.
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