Canadian campus Muslim Student Associations as terrorist recruitment centres

 

MONTREAL - Eleven of Canada's highest-profile jihadi terrorists, terror suspects and alleged extremists have ties to the Muslim Students Association, a security conference has heard. 

The data was presented on Thursday evening by the Canadian Military Intelligence Association in Ottawa, where three men were charged Tuesday with terrorism-related offences.  

Suspect Awso Peshdary, 25, was an invited speaker of the Muslim Students Association at Ottawa's Algonquin College last year. He's accused of financing efforts to send recruits from Canada to Syria to join the Islamic State.  

A second man, Khadar Khalib, 23, was a member of the same MSA and the third suspect, John Maguire, 24, attended MSA events at the University of Ottawa. The latter two are believed to be in Syria.  

The 11 named at the security conference range from people, like Maguire, who reportedly attended a few MSA events, to top executives like former MSA leader Salman Ashrafi of Calgary...