Testifying in Federal Court in Toronto on Wednesday, Almrei denied having any allegiance to bin Laden or his network. He also said the time he spent in an Afghanistan military camp had nothing to do with bin Laden.
Almrei answered questions from his lawyer, John Norris, in response to allegations made by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. The spy agency alleges that Almrei is connected to bin Laden and is a threat to Canadian security.
Almrei has been held since October 2001 under a security certificate, the controversial measure that allows the government to hold a detainee indefinitely without a trial while keeping evidence secret.
Hassan Almrei has been detained without charge since October 2001. (File photo)
In the courtroom, Norris asked whether Almrei believed a jihad, or holy war, should be used to overthrow governments.
Almrei said no, but he did believe in the jihad that ousted the Soviet-backed government in Afghanistan. He stressed that he didn't support bin Laden's jihad.
When asked whether he shared the al-Qaeda leader's hatred for western values, Almrei replied that he wouldn't have come to Canada if he did.
Almrei and his lawyers have not been allowed to see much of the evidence used by CSIS to have him arrested and held for four years without charging him or putting him on trial.
The certificate used to arrest Almrei was supposed be a device that could have him quickly deported back to Syria, his country of origin. But Almrei's lawyers successfully argued before a judge that Syria is a country where the police use torture as an interrogation technique.
While questioned by the government's lawyer, Almrei repeated his earlier admission that he had travelled to Canada on a false passport. He said it was wrong but said he was a refugee.
Almrei has admitted to working for a Saudi honey company accused of funnelling money to bin Laden's network.He has also said he knows an alleged al-Qaeda operative now being held in the U.S. in connection with the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
The government is attempting to show Almrei had expertise in false documents, a skill that could be used by al-Qaeda or other militant networks.
A number of high-profile Canadian writers and journalists, including Alexandre (Sacha) Trudeau, a documentary filmmaker who is the son of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, Naomi Klein, Avi Lewis and Heather Mallick have also supported Almrei's release with bonds.
- FROM JUNE 27, 2005: Well-known Canadians offer to back security detainee
Almrei's bail hearing was expected to wrap up on Wednesday. The judge is expected to take some time before making her ruling.
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