Steven Vikash Chand
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Steven Vikash Chand is one of 17 people arrested in the
2006 Toronto terrorism arrests The 2006 Ontario terrorism case was the plotting of a series of attacks against targets in Southern Ontario, Canada, and the June 2, 2006 counter-terrorism raids in and around the Greater Toronto Area that resulted in the arrest of 14 adults and ...
. He and his conspirators are alleged to have plotted coordinated bombing attacks against targets in southern Ontario.


Life

Chand enrolled in the
Royal Regiment of Canada The Royal Regiment of Canada is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. The regiment is based in Toronto, Ontario, and forms part of the 4th Canadian Division's 32 Canadian Brigade Group. The ceremonial dress uniform of the ...
, a Toronto reserve Infantry unit, in June 2000. Two years later he renounced his Hindu faith and declared himself to have adopted
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
. In April 2004, he left the military reserves. Briefly unemployed, the 25-year-old Chand approached
Imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...
Aly Hindy Aly Hindy is the Imam of the Salaheddin Islamic Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada once called "Toronto's million-dollar radical mosque” by the ''National Post''. Career Hindy immigrated to Canada in 1975 after graduating in Engineering from Ai ...
for financial help, before finding himself a job at a local
Shawarma Shawarma (; ) is a Middle Eastern dish that originated in the Levant during the Ottoman Empire, consisting of meat that is cut into thin slices, stacked in an inverted cone, and roasted on a slow-turning vertical spit. Traditionally made with l ...
fast food Fast food is a type of Mass production, mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. ''Fast food'' is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheat ...
restaurant.Thomas, Vanessa and Make Becker.
Buffalo News ''The Buffalo News'' is the daily newspaper of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, located in downtown Buffalo, New York. It was for decades the only paper fully owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. On January 29, 2020, the ...

A portrait of terrorist suspects
June 5, 2006


Arrest

Police originally said that he had adopted the alias Abdul Shakur, which later turned out to be the name his apartment was rented under. As a result of preferred direct indictment by the Crown Attorney on September 24, 2007, Chand was re-arrested and charged with counseling to commit fraud over $5,000 for the benefit of a terrorist group. Police informant Mubin Shaikh and Chand had known each other prior to the alleged plots, and he is one of the suspects that Shaikh has publicly stated should not have been arrested, and that "the guy is not what they're making him out to be, not at all". Chand is represented by Michael A. Moon.


Trial

Chand was being tried simultaneously with Asad Ansari and Fahim Ahmad in
Brampton Brampton is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario, and the regional seat of the Regional Municipality of Peel. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#L ...
until Ahmad pleaded guilty. In the trial he is identified as having been a secondary leader at the training camps (after Fahim Ahmed). He and Ansari were both found guilty on June 23, 2010 of knowingly participating in a terrorist group and Chand was also found guilty of counselling to commit fraud over $5,000 for the benefit of a terrorist group. The court heard that he had helped set up a training camp in Washago, Ontario, in December 2005. They were the only members of the 18 to be tried by jury rather than by a lone judge. On 26 November 2010, Chand, age 29, was given a ten-year sentence, reduced for time served to 7 months and 10 days, in Ontario Superior Court, for his part in the terrorist plot.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chand, Steven Vikash 2006 Ontario terrorism plot Living people People convicted on terrorism charges Converts to Islam from Hinduism Canadian Muslims Canadian prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of Canada People imprisoned on terrorism charges Year of birth missing (living people) Canadian people of Indian descent