Terror suspect stays in Canada

By: Louie Rosella

January 9, 2009 11:32 AM - A Malton man ordered extradited to the U.S. for his alleged connection to a North American network that police say provides weapons to a terrorist group in Sri Lanka will remain in Canada for the time being.

It will take several months for Ramanan Mylvaganam, 31, to appeal the extradition order imposed last fall by a Federal Court judge, according to Justice Canada. In the meantime, he'll remain here, out on bail.

Mylvaganam was initially taken back into custody following the judge's order, but has since been granted bail pending the appeal.

A hearing date has yet to be set, and Justice Canada officials said on Thursday (Jan. 8) that it will take several months to even set the date, due to legal issues.

Mylvaganam, a computer engineering student at University of Waterloo who came to Canada from Sri Lanka in 1992, was arrested on Aug. 22, 2006 at his Derry Rd. E. apartment by the RCMP. He was picked up on a provisional warrant at the request of American authorities.

One month later, Mylvaganam was granted bail and returned to university, where he continued to pursue a master's degree.

Mylvaganam served as a vice-president of the university's Tamil Students Association in 2004.

He and four other Ontario men have been charged with one count each of conspiring to provide material support and resources to the Tamil Tigers, a political and military organization that has been waging war with the government of Sri Lanka since the 1970s.

In April 2006, the Tigers were added to Canada's official list of terrorist organizations.

Twelve men have been charged in the joint FBI-RCMP investigation. The sweep also included arrests in Buffalo, San Jose, Seattle and Connecticut.

According to his brother, Raghu, Mylvaganam was supposed to start a job at Microsoft's international headquarters in Redmond, Washington in late 2006, but those plans were put on hold after he was arrested.

U.S. prosecutors say the arrests are in relation to a network of men in Canada and the U.S. that allegedly used members' post-secondary studies as a cover for terrorist activities.

Officials say the group kept in contact with top Tamil Tiger operatives in Sri Lanka and the U.S. It tried to obtain compasses, computers and night-vision goggles for the Tigers, but also had bigger plans that included the purchase of aviation equipment, American prosecutors allege.

lrosella@mississauga.net

Mississauga