Anti terrorist case not over

Photo: CTV

Police are pleased with the first conviction under anti-terror laws, however lawyers say the trial is not over.

A lawyer for a man found guilty on Friday under an anti-terrorist law says the verdict is not the last word.

Paul Slansky says there are still motions to be heard in the case of Mohamed Hassan Hersi that could affect the outcome.

The 28-year-old man was found guilty in a Brampton, Ont., court of attempting to participate in the activities of a terrorist group and counselling a person to participate in terrorist activity.

Prosecutors and the RCMP issued news releases on Friday highlighting the verdict.

Slansky says he made motions during the trial dealing with entrapment and abuse of process but the judge refused to consider them until after the verdict.

Slansky says it's normal to deal with entrapment issues after a verdict.

Slansky says those motions will be dealt with later this month starting June 18 and if he is successful a stay on the verdict would be entered.

He says if the judge supports the prosecution he'll then launch an appeal of the verdict.

Hersi was arrested in 2011 at Toronto's Pearson International Airport.

The National Post reported that the Crown contended Hersi was on his way to Somalia to join Al-Shabab, a Somali terrorist group, an allegation it said that Hersi denied, saying he was going overseas to study.

The section of the criminal code concerning attempting to participate in a terrorist group became law in 2001 and the RCMP news release said the Hassan case is the first guilty verdict obtained since it came into force.