Canada to Deport Pakistani Man Accused of Plotting to Blow Up a US Consulate

A Pakistani man accused of plotting to blow up the US Consulate and other buildings in downtown Toronto will be deported from Canada, the country's immigration tribunal ruled Friday, arguing he was a threat to Canadian society.

Jahanzeb Malik, a 33-year-old flooring contractor, has been held in an Ontario prison since he was arrested by the Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) in March following a six-month operation by Canada's federal police.

The government accused Malik of plotting to carry out a terrorist attack and of trying to recruit others to help him with it.

During the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) investigation, an undercover officer using a fake identity reached out to Malik through his online ad and hired him to install hardwood floors in his "prop house."

The two quickly became friends and would meet regularly for coffee and cigarettes.

The undercover officer (whose identity is protected under a publication ban) told Malik he had fought on the Muslim side of the Bosnian War and knew how to make explosives.

According to the officer's testimony during the deportation hearing in May, Malik — who became a permanent resident of Canada in 2009 — divulged to the officer that he supported al Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State (IS), and had recently spent two years in Libya training as a fighter with al Qaeda.

"He said his favorite weapon was the AK-47," the officer recalled on the first day of the hearing. "He said that he went to Libya to kill or to get killed."

Related: Deportation Hearing of Pakistani Man Suspected of Plotting to Blow Up a US Consulate Begins in Canada

According to the National Post, the undercover officer alleged that Malik said he wanted to fight with IS in Syria, but changed his mind and decided to instead carry out an attack against Canada.

"He said that there are no civilians in Canada, only enemies because all Canadians pay the tax and the tax dollars are used to buy planes that are sent to Syria and Iraq and are used to fund the military," the officer told the immigration tribunal.

The officer described how, after watching IS propaganda videos online, Malik wrote a note to the officer saying he wanted to target the "American embassy, financial district, [and] Bay Street."

The officer says Malik then burned the note on the stove.

Malik will remain in custody pending his deportation, which is expected to happen in a few weeks.

Malik's lawyer, Anser Farooq, has called the move to deport him — instead of charging him criminally — "absurd." He told reporters it was counterproductive to just "send this guy away" when he is facing such serious allegations.

Another Pakistani man will be deported from Canada, as soon as Canadian border authorities can arrange it, an immigration tribunal heard Monday, according to The Canadian Press.

Muhammad Aqeeq Ansari, also a permanent resident in Canada, was arrested last October after he was caught with numerous firearms. Ansari's permanent resident status was stripped after the immigration tribunal ruled he was part of a terrorist group.

Follow Rachel Browne on Twitter: @rp_browne