Khurram Sher, accused of al-Qaeda links, pleads not guilty

A onetime Canadian Idol contestant and former London, Ont., doctor pleaded not guilty tocollaborating in an al-Qaeda-inspired plotas his trial began in Ottawa this morning.

Khurram Syed Sher wasarrested on Aug. 6, 2010, for allegedly workingin a homegrown terrorism cell.

On Monday, the Crown outlined its case before the Ontario Superior Court, including96 wiretaps, 24 internet intercepts, 33 emails, 30 pages of admissions and sevensearches.

The defence has admitted almost allof the Crown's evidence, but disputes Sher'srole. The defence told the court thatSherwas linked toa pre-existing conspiracy, but may not have understood or shared its goals.

The Crown and defence spent the day making arguments about the legal ground rules of the case. The Crown's first witnesses are expected to testify on Tuesday.

Court is expected to hear how police seized bomb-making manuals and50 circuit boards intended to detonate explosives from an Ottawa townhouse.

Court is also expected to hear evidencefrom U.S. and British agencies, but it could be deemed inadmissible, according to an expert on terrorism and security intelligence at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ont.

Sher is currently out on bail. Born in Montreal, he was working as apathologist in London at the time of his arrest.

He spoke in a fakePakistani accent and sang anAvril Lavignesong during his Canadian Idol audition.