Ismael Habib thwarted RCMP's best-laid plans in terrorism investigation, court hears

RCMP officers had to scramble to produce new, creative undercover operations after Ismael Habib kept unwittingly thwarting their plans, a Quebec court has heard.

The RCMP officer who orchestrated nearly two dozenundercover operations, James Parent, testified for a second day atHabib's trial at the Montreal courthouse.

Parent explained that the RCMP tried to keep Habibliving in one apartment and out of trouble but succeeded in doing neither.

• Quebecer Ismael Habib on trial for terrorism-related charge

Habib, 29, is accused of trying to go overseas to commit terrorist acts and of providing false information to obtain a passport. He was arrested in Gatineau, Que., in February 2016 on unrelated charges.

He was denied bail on those charges and was subsequently charged for theterrorism-related allegations.

Parent became involved in Habib's investigation in July 2015. He testified that he devised and helped to implement 22 covert operations, culminating ina Mr. Big-style sting which happened in February 2016.

The sting produced a confession from Habib, who said he wanted to go overseas to fight with ISIS. Whether that confession should be admitted as evidence will be ruled on by Judge Serge Dlisle later in the trial.

Bad tenant

After monitoring Habib, police knew he didn't have a fixed address. One of the objectives of the undercover operations was to find him some place to live.

"He stayed a little bit everywhere," Parent testified.

He said the RCMP rented an apartment on Basile Patenaude Place, in the Montreal borough of RosemontLa Petite-Patrie, and made up a cover story so that Habib's friend Lyes an agent could give him the apartment.

But Habib was only there for a couple of weeks when he decided to move to Gatineauto move in with his new girlfriend.

After leaving the apartment, he allowed a familyunrelated to the investigationto move into the apartment being paid for by the RCMP.

Parent said he then had to change gears, introducinga new RCMP agent to evict the family and to help bring Habib back to Montreal on variousoccasions.

Trouble with the law

To avoid compromising the terrorism-relatedinvestigation, Parent said he wantedto keep Habib from being arrested on unrelated charges.

In the various scenarios they played out with Habib, Parent'soperativestold Habib not to try and have his girlfriend's car stolen and not to commit identity fraud, so that other police forces wouldn'tarrest him and interrupt the undercover investigation prematurely.

Once again, Habib thwarted Parent's best-laid plans.

He was ultimately arrested for uttering threats and harassing his girlfriend in Gatineau,in late February.

It's unclear if the RCMP investigation was over at that time, however Habib had been meeting with undercover officers just hours before his arrest.

More from the Ismael Habibtrial:

• 'I love jihad more than everything:' Ismael Habib's computer focus of Crown's case
• Puppet master of covert RCMP operation describes how Ismael Habib was reeled in