A man charged with plotting an attack on a train line in Canada is trying to find an attorney who can successfully convince the judge to try his case based on the Koran, not secular court law.
Chiheb Esseghaier made his plea via video to a Toronto court on Monday, according to the Canadian Press. So far, he hasn’t found an attorney who will take up his cause but will not accept a court-appointed attorney who won’t push for the Koran to be used as the court law.
“I want that the lawyer help me to change the reference of my case from the laws used by humans to the laws of the holy book,” he told the court in the video. “I cannot take a lawyer who is not able to fulfill my need.”
Mr. Essenghaier, 30, is a Tunisian national who was arrested in April on several terrorism charges tied to an al Qaeda plot to attack a Via train traveling between Toronto and New York City.
At Monday’s hearing, the judge told him to continue to seek an attorney to represent him. The next hearing is set for June 25, the Canadian Press reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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