OTTAWA - A border agency official says a pending court hearing did not influence the timing of a raid on the home of terror suspect Mohamed Harkat.
Jasmine Richard of the Canada Border Services Agency told Federal Court today the search was carried out to ensure Harkat was complying with bail conditions.
Last month, authorities seized confidential legal documents during a six-hour raid on Harkat's home.
More than a dozen border agents and police, accompanied by sniffer dogs, searched the house from top to bottom.
The agents carted away legal papers, family photo albums, and a personal computer and notebooks belonging to Harkat's wife Sophie.
His lawyers consider the raid illegal and abusive.
The Federal Court is reviewing the legality of the search.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service says Harkat, a refugee from Algeria, is an Islamic extremist and member of Osama bin Laden's terrorist network.
The government is trying to deport Harkat under a national security certificate, a rarely used immigration provision.
The certificate's validity is to be weighed in lengthy court proceedings this spring.
Richard said today she was aware of this but indicated the raid was not timed with it in mind.
Matt Webber, a lawyer for Harkat, challenged Richard as to whether she had reasonable grounds to believe Harkat had violated bail.
He pressed her as to why, a photo with Arabic writing on the back, several computer disks and daytimers belonging to Harkat's wife were taken in the raid.
Richard said the photo could have violated a prohibition against communicating with people involved in violent jihad.
The former pizza delivery man and gas station attendant, who was arrested in December 2002, denies any involvement with terrorism.
