Royal Canadian Mounted Police

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police questioned Mohamedou Ould Slahi in Canada after Ahmed Ressam’s arrest drew investigators’ attention to Montreal’s Muslim immigrant community and the al Sunnah mosque. The encounter, which Slahi later recalled in testimony, marked his first questioning about possible terrorist connections and introduced him to the fear and scrutiny that would shape his view of life in Canada.

Investigation Context

Ressam, an Algerian immigrant and al-Qaeda member, was arrested while entering the United States in a car carrying explosives as part of a plan to bomb Los Angeles International Airport on New Year’s Day. He had been based in Montreal and had attended the al Sunnah mosque, but had left the city before Slahi arrived there in November 1999. The ensuing investigation focused on the Muslim immigrant community, particularly the mosque community. Slahi was questioned in that climate of heightened suspicion, despite the account noting that Ressam had departed before his arrival.

Questioning of Slahi

At a 2005 Administrative Review Board hearing, Slahi recalled that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police came to interrogate him and asked whether he knew Ressam and another man. He said he knew neither. Unaccustomed to being questioned, he was frightened and shaking, and wanted to avoid trouble by telling the truth. He also recalled feeling that the officers were watching him in a conspicuous and unsettling way, as if their presence was meant to communicate that he was under observation.

Effects and Limits of the Account

Slahi described the encounter as the first time in his life he had been questioned about possible terrorist links. His recollection emphasizes not a finding against him, but the personal effect of becoming a subject of suspicion: he felt watched and said he could not enjoy his freedom in Canada. He left Montreal in January 2000, travelling via Brussels to Dakar. The account establishes the questioning and Slahi’s response to it, but does not specify what conclusions the Royal Canadian Mounted Police reached or describe any further action by the organization.