Wrangling over classified information delays Lindhout hostage-taking trial
OTTAWA — A legal dispute about secret information is delaying the trial of a man accused of taking journalist Amanda Lindhout hostage in Somalia nine years ago.
An Ontario Superior Court judge is slated to rule Tuesday whether the criminal trial will begin Thursday or remain on hold — possibly for months — while the wrangling over classified files play out.
Defence counsel told Justice Robert Smith on Monday that Ali Omar Ader cannot get a fair trial at this point because of side proceedings over how much sensitive information can be admitted.
The Federal Court of Canada ruled last week that several classified records related to the case must remain under wraps — a decision Ader’s lawyers are challenging in the Federal Court of Appeal.