The father of an Ottawa man facing terror-related charges says his son is a polite kid who has never had trouble with the law.

Suliman Mohamed made his first court appearance Tuesday following his arrest on Monday. Mohamed, 21, is charged with:

  • Conspiring to commit the indictable offence of knowingly participating in an activity of a terrorist group for the purpose of enhancing the ability of the terrorist group to facilitate or carry out a terrorist activity.
  • Knowingly participating in the activity of a terrorist group for the purpose of enhancing the ability of a terrorist group to facilitate or carry out terrorist activity.

On the first charge, police allege that Mohamed conspired with twin brothers Ashton and Carlos Larmond, who were arrested and charged on Friday, “and with a person or persons unknown.”

The parents of Mohamed are in denial and shocked over the charges. Mohamed’s father, Idris Altahir, said Tuesday that his son is a devout Muslim who attends mosque and prays regularly.

“I don’t think any radicalization would happen. He’s a student. He’s a normal citizen,” Altahir told reporters outside court on Tuesday.

He said that his son does not have a criminal record.

“He is a very normal person. Quiet, polite, and generous. He opens his door for everybody.”

Mohamed showed no emotion in the court room Tuesday, even when the Crown opposed bail over the seriousness of the charges.

Awaiting disclosure

Addressing reporters outside the court, defence lawyer Doug Baum said the charges against his client are serious, but he does not yet know exactly what they are.

"Because of the timing of the arrests and the way the investigation was wrapped up, the investigation itself may not have been complete, and the disclosure which is normally given out is not available at this time."

The lawyers for all three accused men admit they know very little about why their clients have been arrested. They say the information is protected in the interest of national security. Baum said he doesn't expect to see those details until the disclosure has been vetted.

"That edited product will eventually be disclosed to us, and at that point, we'll have an idea of what the allegations are," he explained, telling reporters that his client and the Larmond brothers are “casual acquaintances.”

For now, his client is keeping quiet.

"He is not saying anything at this point. He doesn't know very much either. He knows as much as I know, which is very little," said Baum.

In his comments, Crown counsel Rod Sonley said efforts are being made to provide the disclosure as soon as possible.

Suspects inspired by ISIS

CTV News has learned that all three men were inspired by ISIS. Further details on their indoctrination remains a mystery.

Sources told CTV News that one or more of the men were on the RCMP watch list that includes 93 terror suspects.

The RCMP considers Ashton Larmond to be the ringleader of the three men. He's been on the RCMP watch list since 2013. His brother and Mohamed have been under surveillance since last August.

CTV News has also been told the RCMP will be making more terror arrests. Sources say there are a lot of homegrown terror suspects willing to go overseas to fight.

Carlos Larmond was arrested Friday at Montreal’s Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport as he tried to board a flight to India. However, sources told CTV News that authorities suspect he may have tried to board a flight to Turkey during a stopover in Frankfurt. From Turkey, authorities suspect he may have travelled on to Syria.

He has been charged with attempting to leave Canada to participate in terrorist activity abroad, and participating in the activity of a terrorist group.

Carlos’s brother, Ashton, was also arrested on Friday in Ottawa. He is charged with facilitating terrorist activity, participation in the activity of a terrorist group and instructing to carry out activity for a terrorist group.

The brothers were living with their grandparents in an Ottawa working-class neighbourhood before their arrests. Linda Brennan, their grandmother, refused to speak with reporters Tuesday, telling CTV News to "go away."

While Mohamed has no criminal record, the brothers have both faced drug-related charges.

Ashton was charged with drug possession and possession for the purposes of trafficking in 2011 along with his grandparents. While the latter charge was dropped, he pled guilty to drug possession. Carlos was charged with drug possession in 2014; that case is ongoing.

The twins appeared in court over the weekend and will remain in custody until their first court appearance on Feb. 12.

Mohamed’s case was also put over until Feb. 12. He has been ordered to have no communication with the Larmond brothers.

With files from CTV’s Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife and CTV’s Philip Ling