Lawyer for alleged extremist recruiter Awso Peshdary questions CSIS warrant

A lawyer for accused extremist recruiter Awso Peshdary says Canada's spy agency obtained a warrant to monitor the Ottawa man based on misleading information.

Fady Mansour told a Federal Court judge Friday thatthe Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) warrant should be tossed out because the application for surveillance painted a false picture of both Peshdary and a spy service source.

Federal lawyer Andre Seguin saidMansour's argument falls far short of the legal threshold for overturning a warrant authorization.

The warrant's validity is crucial because Mansour and co-counsel Solomon Friedman argue that information gathered through the CSIS surveillance was key to helping the RCMP obtain its own wiretap authorization.

Peshdary, 28, was arrested in Ottawa in February 2015, and has pleaded not guilty to charges including participation in the activities of a terrorist group.

His criminal trial began in June in Ontario Superior Court and is slated to resume next month, but the outcome of the Federal Court proceeding will help determine how it unfolds.