TORONTO — A Toronto jury has decided the fate of one of two men accused in an alleged terror plot to derail a passenger train, but will continue deliberating today on some of the charges against his co-accused.
The 12-member panel didn't reveal yesterday which of the two men they were disagreeing on, nor did they hint at which of the nine terror-related charges was causing their deadlock.
Raed Jaser and Chiheb Esseghaier were arrested in 2013 following an extensive investigation into the alleged plot to kill scores of people by derailing a train travelling between Canada and the U.S.
Both men are charged with two counts of conspiracy and two counts of participating in or contributing to a terrorist group. Esseghaier is also facing a fifth terror-related charge.
Justice Michael Code, who has been presiding over the trial, asked jurors yesterday to continue their deliberations and attempt to reach a unanimous decision on all charges in the case.
The panel said it had found unanimous verdicts for one accused on each count he faced, but had only agreed on verdicts for two counts faced by the other accused.
"On the remaining counts we are unable to reach an agreement," the jury wrote. "There seems to be no path to consensus."
Code explained he had the authority to discharge the jury if it appeared that further deliberations would be useless, but he emphasized that it was not a power he would exert lightly.
"Often, when we allow juries more time to deliberate they are able to reach an agreement," he said. "You should keep an open mind and consider carefully the views of your fellow jurors."
