Terrorism case centres on Ottawa meeting: source

A large part of the terrorism case against three Canadiansis based on a meeting the trio allegedly had in an Ottawa home in July, CBC News has learned.

A source told CBC News that Hiva Mohammad Alizadeh and Misbahuddin Ahmed of Ottawa and Khurram Syed Sher, a pathologistin London, Ont., met July 20in a house in Ottawa's Carlingwood neighbourhood.

The meeting was the first time the three men were seen together in one place, and it wasrecorded bypolice surveillance.

The three men, ages 26 to 30,allegedly discussed general plans at their meeting but did not specify hard targets, the source said.

They were arrested more than a month later, onAug. 25 in an RCMP investigation dubbed Project Samossa. The arrests came after police raided homes in London and Ottawa, including the house where the meeting allegedly happened.

Police first focused their attention on Alizadeh, CBC News haslearned. Ahmed became a person of interest because of his interaction with Alizadeh; Sher is said to have come into the picture much later. Police also believe Sher used a 2006 trip to Pakistan, as part of an earthquake relief effort, to make contact with a jihadist group there.

Alizadeh, Ahmed and Sher are accused of conspiring to facilitate terrorism with others in Canada, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and Dubai over the past two years.

Alizadeh is also charged with possessing an explosive substance with intent to harm and providing property or financial services for the benefit of a terrorist group.