The family of a Palestinian man with Canadian citizenship denied Israeli accusations on Monday that he had plotted attacks in North America on behalf of the Islamic militant group Hamas. Hamas also rejected the allegations by Israel which detained Jamal Akal, 23, after he visited his birthplace in a Gaza Strip refugee camp. The case has drawn an angry reaction from Canada’s government. Israel’s Shin Bet security agency said Akal was arrested in November leaving the Gaza Strip where it alleged he was trained by Hamas to “assassinate a senior Israeli official in the U.S. and attack members of the U.S. and Canadian Jewish communities.” Shin Bet said in a statement that Akal had confessed under interrogation. His family voiced fears he had been tortured into making a false confession, echoing charges of “psychological” coercion made by Akal’s lawyer last week. Full Story