Momin Khawaja

Mohammad Momin Khawaja (born April 14, 1979) is a Canadian found guilty of involvement in a plot to plant fertilizer bombs in the United Kingdom. While working as a software engineer under contract to the Foreign Affairs department in 2004 he became the first person charged and found guilty under the Canadian Anti-Terrorism Act following the proof that he communicated with British Islamists plotting a bomb attack. On March 12, 2009, Khawaja was sentenced to 10.5 years in prison and was eligible for parole five years into the prison term. On December 17, 2010, Khawaja's sentence was increased to life imprisonment by the Ontario Court of Appeals.

Early life and education Born in Ottawa, Ontario, to Pakistani immigrants Azra and Mahboob who had moved to Canada in 1967, Khawaja lived in Saudi Arabia with his family (ages 9–14), before moving back to Ottawa, where he attended Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School and graduated in January 1998.

Career Following graduation, he entered a 3-year computer program at Algonquin College, and became more religious and began teaching youth at the Cumberland mosque. His April 2001 graduation led to a placement in the Gatineau office of HRDC.

In January 2002, Khawaja took a 3-month trip to stay with his uncle in Pakistan while looking for a potential wife. It was later alleged that this trip had been meant to join the Taliban.

In October, Khawaja flew to Pakistan, and is alleged to have met with Khyam who gave him a medical kit, invisible ink set, cell phone SIM cards and cash, which he allegedly brought to Abu Munthir in Pakistan.

On October 19, Khawaja sent an email to Mohammed Junaid Babar, stating; "I will start on the remote devices thing right away and will let u know once we have it ready for testing and i find some of the things for testing. Urea, nitro phosphate, anything else we need?".

Ultimately five were convicted in London courts, and two were acquitted, while Babar agreed to testify against the others in exchange for full immunity for himself.

The initial two charges against Khawaja were boosted to seven counts, following Babar's telling of events, and a publication ban prevented the media from reporting on details revealed during legal hearings.

The trial began on June 23, 2008, heard by Superior Court judge Douglas Rutherford, prosecuted by David McKercher. On October 29, 2008, he was found guilty on all charges by Justice Rutherford. On March 12, 2009, at his sentencing hearing, Rutherford sentenced Khawaja to 10.5 years in addition to the five years already served. "It is completely neutral," Devlin told the court. "This legislation would apply to someone who bombed Dr. (Henry) Morgentaler’s [abortion] clinic for some unknown reason. It would apply to [Oklahoma City bomber] Timothy McVeigh. It would apply to Islamic extremists."

The Canadian Government appealed the sentencing, asking for a longer sentence. The Supreme Court reviewed the Khawaja case to examine the constitutionality of the definition of "terrorist activity" in the criminal code. The main issue focuses on the motive clause, which states that terrorist activity is that committed, "in whole or in part for a political, religious or ideological purpose, objective or cause." At Khawaja’s trial, Rutherford ruled that the motive provision was unconstitutional, but still ordered the trial to proceed.

The appeal was won by the Crown and the court increased Khawaja sentence to life in prison. He is unlikely to get parole as long as he is housed in a supermax prison.

Khawaja was held at the Special Handling Unit at Archambault Institution in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec. He has been there since 2009 and has been kept in segregation. He since then has moved to Bath Institution where he is chairman of the lifers group