Toronto 18 ringleader Zakaria Amara granted full parole after deradicalization
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to Zakaria Amara, a key organizer of the 2006 Toronto 18 terror plot, finding he no longer holds extremist beliefs.
Toronto 18 organizer released on full parole after two decades
Zakaria Amara, one of the principal organizers of the foiled Toronto 18 terror plot, has been granted full parole by the Parole Board of Canada, Global News Crime reports. The two-member panel concluded Amara, 41, no longer showed "any signs of holding onto extremist beliefs or radical ideologies."
Amara had been on day parole under multiple conditions for four years before the board upgraded his status following a review last week. In a written decision issued Friday, the panel found he had used that period "for its intended rehabilitative purpose," demonstrating "positive change, both in attitude and in behaviour."
During his day parole, Amara's internet use, friendships and relationships were closely monitored. The board reported no safety concerns or violations during that time.
Under the terms of his full parole, Amara plans to live independently and structure his days around full-time employment, attendance at a mosque, family contact and "appropriate leisure activities." He remains barred from communicating with any of the individuals arrested during the June 2006 anti-terrorist raids or with anyone holding extremist ideologies — except in his capacity as a consultant with a specialized program. He must continue counselling and comply with financial monitoring and restrictions on phone and internet use.
The board's decision arrives roughly two decades after the dismantling of a homegrown plot that, according to Global News Crime, shocked the country and reshaped public discourse on terrorism.
Amara and an accomplice had recruited members to a cell motivated by jihadist ideology, with the stated aim of pressuring Canada to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan. The group eventually split in two, with Amara leading a faction that planned truck bombings targeting the Canadian Security Intelligence Service headquarters, the Toronto Stock Exchange building, and a military base. He was arrested on the day bomb-making materials were delivered to a warehouse.
He pleaded guilty to participating in a terrorist group with the intention of causing explosions likely to result in serious bodily harm or death, and received a life sentence with no eligibility for parole for ten years. An appeal against the sentence was dismissed.
The board's document noted that Amara's "problematic and extremist ideologies and attitudes" persisted during his first years in custody, a period that also included several disciplinary incidents. His outlook "began to shift" in 2014, the board said, and he was transferred to a medium-security institution in 2019, where correctional staff described him as "respectful, polite and quiet."
Day parole was first granted for a three-month period in 2022 and extended on multiple occasions thereafter.
"During the latter part of your federal custody and for the past four years in the community, you have undertaken a process to distance yourself from extremist ideologies and others who share the same views," the board wrote in its decision.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2026. Reporting by Paola Loriggio.
Source: Global News Crime