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In his first public appearance on charges of plotting to derail a VIA train on behalf of al Qaeda, the Tunisian-born PhD student offered the first clue of a defence strategy, to Quebec Court Judge Pierre Labelle, at the end of a brief court appearance in Montreal Tuesday.

The judge said it was not the time to dispute the substance of the charges.

Mr. Esseghaier, 30, described in court records as having no fixed address, was not represented by a lawyer and declined the offer of one

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The circumstances of the threat are unknown but a previous charge of fraud, laid in 1995, was stayed in 1996 after being diverted to an alternate form of resolution, according to court records.

Mr. Jaser’s past encounters in court will bear little resemblance to what awaits him, however, after being charged Monday with an alleged terrorist plot.

Mr. Jaser is “in a state of shock and disbelief,” his lawyer, John Norris, said Tuesday following a brief court appearance.

Mr. Jaser was ordered not have any communication with his co-accused, Chiheb Esseghaier, before being returned to custody.

His father, Mohammed, who once worked as a taxi driver, mother and brother watched as he was brought into court wearing a black skullcap and dark dress shirt. He nodded at them and later told the judge he understood English.

Mr. Jaser’s father had been concerned about his son and approached a Toronto Muslim leader, Mohammed Robert Heft, several years ago with his concerns.