Highlights
– Four stowaways arrested 60 miles from port after eluding authorities
– Smuggling rings continue to use commercial vessels to breach national borders
– Public criticism likely to force port authorities to implement additional security presence
Four North African stowaways remain in custody this week after eluding port authorities at the Port of Halifax, one of Canada’s busiest ports. The four suspects, claiming to be Algerian, allegedly snuck onto an England bound commercial vessel in Algeria. After the vessel docked in England and headed towards Canada, the suspects then hid for 12 days on several Toronto GO Transit buses that were being shipped.
Upon arrival in Halifax, the four suspects walked off the vessel and ran past the commissionaire at the port’s main gate. The suspects then visited a Via Rail ticket office where they attempted to purchase tickets with a foreign currency. The ticket office attendant notified authorities after the men offered to purchase the tickets for more than the actual fare for a train ticket. The suspects proceeded to travel by taxi 60 miles to Truro train station, where they were later apprehended by police.
Evidence suggests the four men were attempting to sneak into Canada to seek asylum. However, Canada will likely continue to remain a target for extremists as demonstrated in the 2006 Toronto bombing plot (Previous Report). A lack of port security will continue to leave Canada vulnerable for extremist networks seeking to infiltrate Canadian borders.
The latest security breach will likely lead to a re-evaluation of gate security and inspection measures for the country’s busiest ports.
Previous Plots Channel the “Trojan Horse”
Recent criminal, terrorist plots, as well as documented suspicious activity on board maritime vessels highlight the lingering security threat to North American ports.
• August 2007: Crew on board Washington state ferries reported several suspicious activities of two men including videotaping shipboard systems, doorways, crewmembers and its layout as opposed to the surrounding landscape. The two men reportedly exhibited the same behavior on multiple ferry runs over a time span of four to six weeks (Previous Report).
• April 5, 2006: Twenty-two Chinese nationals were arrested at the Port of Seattle after entering the country on a Liberian-registered container vessel that stopped in Shanghai. The container holding the illegal aliens was marked for inspection due its suspiciously low weight. The individuals aboard were able to flea the container, but were later discovered by an unarmed security guard and a truck driver.
• March 14, 2004: As part of a joint Hamas and Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades operation, two Palestinian suicide bombers attacked the heavily fortified Port of Ashdod, Israel, killing 11 people. An investigation found that the two hid in a secret compartment on in steel-shipping container before boarding two shipment trucks .
• October 18, 2001: Egyptian born Canadian citizen, Amid Farid, bound for Montreal was arrested in Italy after authorities discovered him in a compartment on board a vessel departing Port Said, Egypt. Authorities uncovered airport security passes, maps, a computer and a satellite phone inside the hidden container compartment. Although Farid was released, the findings highlight the potential threat from smuggling activities on board commercial vessels.
• December 14, 1999: “Millennium Bomb” plotter, Algerian Ahmed Ressam, transported an explosives laden vehicle on a ferry from British Columbia to Los Angeles where he had planned to detonate a suitcase bomb at Los Angeles International Airport .
Back to the Drawing Board
This is the second stowaway breach at the Port of Halifax in one year. The Canada Border Services Area (CBSA) is continuing to review the incident and will likely be pressured to assign an armed uniformed presence at the port’s gate.
The Ports Canada Police (PCP) originally patrolled Canada’s six major ports, reportedly catching 10 to 25 stowaways in Halifax annually (Source). However, the PCP was disbanded in 1997 and the Halifax Regional Police were ordered to patrol the city’s waterfront. Currently, a mere five officers are dedicated to the port, down from 26 Ports Police officers that previously staffed the docks under the PCP.
While the Canadian government has spent millions on port and border security measures in recent years, the Port of Halifax and CBSA officials will likely face heightened pressure at the behest of the Canadian and US governments to implement additional security measures to prevent future lapses in the long-term.
