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Canada's highest court won't hear Toronto 18 sentence appeal

By: The Canadian Press

Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013 at 9:59 AM | Comments: 0

An ammonium nitrate explosion next to a container is shown in this image taken from an RCMP video. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO

OTTAWA - The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear the cases of three members of the so-called Toronto 18 terrorist group who wanted to appeal their sentences.

Ontario's Appeal Court had previously upheld the maximum sentence for ringleader Zakaria Amara and significantly increased the sentences of two co-conspirators.

All three sought leave to appeal their sentences to the Supreme Court, but today the high court declined to hear the cases.

The decision means their sentences stand, including Amara's sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole for 10 years — the harshest penalty available for a terrorism offence.

Saad Khalid and Saad Gaya are in prison on 20-year and 18-year sentences, respectively, after the Court of Appeal for Ontario increased their sentences by six years each.

All three were convicted in 2009 after pleading guilty to terrorism charges in a plot to bomb CSIS headquarters, the Toronto Stock Exchange and other targets including a military base.

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