The Toronto 18 — Radicalized in the Suburbs

The Toronto 18 — Radicalized in the Suburbs

Author: Dark Poutine / Curiouscast March 9, 2026 Duration: 59:44
Episode 409: In June 2006, police carried out coordinated arrests across southern Ontario and charged 18 young men under Canada’s anti-terrorism laws. The case quickly became known as the Toronto 18. It was described as a homegrown plot, not directed from overseas but organized in suburban communities around Mississauga and Toronto. Most of the accused were in their late teens or early twenties. Many were Canadian citizens or long-time residents. Their backgrounds varied, but research and court records show no pattern of hardened criminal histories or severe mental illness. What drew them together, investigators argued, was a shared sense of grievance over global conflicts and a growing embrace of militant ideology. Sources: Prime Minister comments on terror arrests | Canada.caSeventeen Arrested on Anti-Terrorism Charges | Canada.ca2006 Ontario terrorism plot | WikipediaPublic Safety Minister Stockwell Day Issues Statement on Canada's National Day to Remember Victims of Terror | Canada.caToronto 18: Key events in the case | CBC NewsManitoba Law Journal, vol 44 no 1, 2021 CanLIIDocs 787R. v. N.Y., 2008 CanLII 51935 (ON SC)R. v. Gaya, 2008 CanLII 24539 (ON SC) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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