(Toronto Sun) After more than seven years of fighting his conviction as a would-be al-Qaeda terrorist who dreamed of derailing a Toronto-bound passenger train, Chiheb Esseghaier now wants to abandon his appeal.
Ontario’s highest court, though, is wisely taking his latest wishes with a grain of salt. With Esseghaier’s long history of mental health issues, the cautious Court of Appeal will hold a hearing to determine whether they should first test his mental fitness before allowing him to abandon his appeal.
If they agree to Essaghaier’s request, it will leave his co-conspirator Raed Jaser alone to continue his long-time efforts to overturn his conviction and sentence.
The terror twins were found guilty in 2015 and sentenced to life in prison following a high-profile, three-month trial often punctuated with Esseghaier’s theatrics.
