Zakaria Amara

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Zakaria Amara is one of 17 people detained on June 2 and June 3, 2006, in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada in the 2006 Toronto terrorism arrests. He and his co-conspirators are alleged to have plotted coordinated terrorist attacks against targets in southern Ontario.

Amara was 20 years old, attending school and working at a gas station, at the time of arrest. He is married with a newborn child.

A Pakistani by birth, Amara's wife Nada immigrated to Canada from Saudi Arabia with her family in 1997, after her father grew displeased with several aspects of Saudi Arabia's government. She has drawn media attention for being one of four wives who participated in online discussions about jihad and their hatred for Canada. In 2004, she discussed wanting to have a son, and name him after the Wahabbi warlord Ibn al-Khattab. She also criticised the Dubai spending on architecture, claiming the money should have been diverted to those dying in Iraq. A message about the assassination of Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi drove her to post "May Allah crush these jews, bring them down to their kneees, humuliate them. Ya Allah make their women widows and their children orphans.", drawing complaints from other members.[1] She also told Zakaria that she would seek a divorce if he did not become a militant.[2] Her sister Rana is married to Ahmad Mustafa Ghany.

Amara is charged with receiving and providing terrorist training, and intent to harm or kill with explosives. He is alleged to have given Shareef Abdelhaleen the $2,000 to purchase ammonium nitrate for use as an explosive.

His attorney, David Kolinsky, has claimed that Amara was mistreated by a prison guard, after giving a ticklish laugh while being searched.

On September 19, 2006, Amara, was denied bail in a Brampton courtroom.

Charged with four offences under Canada’s Anti-terrorism Act, Amara entered the courtroom at about 9:30AM. He was handcuffed and shackled, but smiled widely behind his thick beard toward his mother, who sat twenty feet away.

The charges include two counts of receiving terrorist training and participating in a terrorist group, one count of recruiting for a terrorist group and one count of intent to set off an explosion with the aim of causing bodily harm or great damage.