Toronto 18 'Jihadi Wannabes'

David Charters, a member of the Advisory Council on National Security, claims the Toronto 18 are little more than "jihadi wannabes". He said their plans to storm parliament behead the prime minister and take over the CBC broadcasting center are "scarcely credible". Well, I wouldn't say "scarcely credible" they did have a plan and thats the first step to a well oiled operation and they had started to train as well.

But even if Charters is right, the point is not if the plan was feasible but that there are jihadists within Canada plotting to violence and destruction. National Post

OTTAWA -- Canada's biggest case of alleged homegrown terrorism -- the "Toronto 18" -- is turning out to be little more than a bunch of "wanna-be jihadists" who posed little real danger, says a member of the Advisory Council on National Security to the cabinet.

David Charters says what initially appeared to be a frightening plot to bomb Toronto landmarks and storm Parliament appears to be something far less sinister.

....

"I will be surprised if more than two or three are ever convicted of serious crimes. To anyone the least bit familiar with security, their so-called ‘plans' were scarcely credible," Mr. Charters said in a keynote address Thursday to the Canadian Aviation Security Conference. "While not calling into question their desire to dosomething dramatic, it is clear their reach exceeded their grasp."

But the serious and disturbing element to the alleged plot, said Charters, is that apparent radicalization is, "happening at a much younger age; there are ‘talent spotters' who are willing to exploit the idealism, rage of lack of maturity of youngsters and to give them a target, an outlet and a justification for violence; and finally, that they don't have to travel [overseas] to be trained.

"They can learn how to do terrorism through the medium they know best: the Internet -- right in their own homes. From a security agency's perspective, this is the stuff of nightmares; it really could be ‘the kid next door.'"