Canadian Tamil Tigers plead guilty in terror trial

Face 25 Years; plotted to buy missiles for Tamil Tigers

By Stewart Bell And Adrian Humphreys
Courtesy: The National Post

(May 07, Toronto, Sri Lanka Guardian) The trial of three Canadians accused of travelling to New York in 2006 to buy anti-aircraft missiles and assault rifles for the Tamil Tigers guerrillas ended yesterday following two more guilty pleas. Sahilal Sabaratnam, 29, and Thiruthanikan Thanigasalam, 41, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to support a foreign terrorist group and conspiracy to buy missiles. Their co-accused, Sathajhan Sarachandran, 29, had already pleaded guilty on Monday.

They each face a minimum sentence of 25 years with a maximum of life imprisonment after admitting they were part of a Canadian-based arms procurement cell of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels, also known as the LTTE.

"With these convictions we have sent a clear message that the LTTE and its supporters cannot use the United States as a source of supply for deadly weapons and technology, and that all terrorists who attempt to do so will be met with the full resources of law enforcement," U. S. Attorney Benton Campbell said.

The case was the product of an undercover investigation, called Project O-Needle, conducted jointly by the FBI and the RCMP. The investigation began when the suspects made contact with a man they thought was a U. S. arms dealer but who was actually a confidential police informant. The FBI launched an undercover sting operation that caught the defendants on tape negotiating to purchase 10 Russian SA-18 missiles and 500 AK-47 assault rifles for US$900,000.

The cell was working under the direction of Pottu Aman, the intelligence and procurement chief of the Tamil Tigers and right-hand man to guerrilla boss Velupillai Prabhakaran, the U. S. Attorney's office said in a statement.

U. S. officials said each of the men had distinct roles in the procurement group. Sabaratnam, a former Carleton University commerce student, was considered the "financial guy." He was involved in talks over payment for the weapons, stressing the money would have to be deposited into an active account. "If there is no activity in the account and you throw in a million dollars, that is going to raise a red flag," he said in a monitored conversation. "They will freeze the accounts on both sides."

David Poopalapillai disowns Sabaratnam

Prior to his arrest, Sabaratnam served as the communications director of the Canadian Tamil Congress in 2005, but the group's current spokesman, David Poopilapillai, said the organization had since been revamped. "We don't condone any unlawful activity," he said.

Thanigasalam, considered a technical expert, studied applied science at the University of Toronto. The FBI said he discussed buying missiles that could shoot down Kfir fighter jets and said he wanted to buy American or Russian assault rifles because the Chinese AK-47s currently used by the Tigers were "garbage."

Sarachandran, who played a logistical role, is a former University of Windsor computer science student and had served as national president of the Canadian Tamil Students Association. Three other Canadians arrested in Ontario around the same time on similar charges are undergoing extradition proceedings to determine whether they should be sent to New York to stand trial.

The Tamil Tigers are separatist rebels fighting for independence for Sri Lanka's ethnic Tamil minority. Providing material support to the Tigers is a violation of Canadian and U. S. anti-terror-ism laws.

Once a potent force in South Asia, the rebels have suffered major setbacks in recent weeks and now appear on the verge of defeat. Government troops chased them from their last stronghold on the weekend, but there are concerns for the roughly 250,000 civilians trapped in the war zone.

The International Committee of the Red Cross called on both sides yesterday to allow civilians to flee the combat zone and safeguard humanitarian aid workers from shelling and looting. People are being caught in the crossfire, hospitals and ambulances have been hit by shelling and several aid workers have been injured while evacuating the wounded," said Jacques de Maio, ICRC head of operations for South Asia.

About 20 demonstrators briefly occupied the Sri Lankan consulate in Toronto yesterday until they were evicted by police. Consul General Bandula Jayasekara said the demonstrators pushed their way into the consulate at about 10:15 a. m. and were photographing and videotaping his staff.

Ajanthan Kanapathipillai, a Sri Lankan-born car factory employee, said he took part in the protest to draw attention to the hundreds of civilians dying in the war. "Why are innocent Tamils being killed?" he asked. "If this isn't a genocide, what else is it?"

Confession of Sahilal Sabaratnam

"In August of 2006, I did with others [agree] to obtain information for the purchase of guided anti-aircraft weapons. I travelled to the state of New York and the Eastern District of New York to meet individuals to discuss the purchase of guided anti-aircraft weapons. I knew the information that we were obtaining about the weapons was going to be given to the LTTE, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, known as the Tamil Tigers. I knew at the time that the Tamil Tigers were listed as a designated terrorist organization. I knew what I was doing was wrong and against the law."

sbell@nationalpost.com

-Sri Lanka Guardian