12 men in Toronto, Canada, arrested for alleged large-scale bombing plot

According to BBC News, 12 men and 5 youths have been charged in Canada for a variety of crimes related to a suspected terrorist plot.  The individuals were caught with around three tons of ammonium nitrate (fertilizer), which is a primary component in many "home made" bombs, including the one used in Oklahoma City several years ago to kill 168 people (that bomb, according to the BBC, only used one ton of ammonium nitrate).  "Officials showed what they said was evidence of bomb-making materials, a computer hard drive, camouflage uniforms and what appeared to be a door with bullet holes in it."

I would like to congratulate the Canadian men and women who were involved in this operation, because discovering such an organization and its plans, as we have all come to discover, is not as easy as it seems, and the actions of the men and women in Canada's security team who arrested these individuals saved hundreds of lives.

I would, however, like to take issue with one of the individuals quoted in the story:

"Aly Hindy, an imam at a Toronto mosque, said he knew most of the accused and believed one or two were involved in crime but not terrorism.

'One guy was doing some criminal activity, selling guns for money,' he was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency outside the courtroom.

'But the problem is these days when a Muslim commits fraud, it becomes terrorism. When he commits stealing it becomes terrorism.'"

I cannot agree more with the fact that Muslims have been, in some cases, unfairly targeted since 9/11, but this doesn't seem to be one of them.  I cannot imagine any legitimate reason for 17 individuals to own 3 tons of fertilizer along with the materials to cause it to explode.  Not a single one.  Just because some Muslims have been treated unfairly doesn't mean that we should ignore evidence in an investigation.