Canada's waterloo university student extradited to US: stand trial with 12 men for helping LTTE

Ramanan Mylvaganam (31), Canada's Waterloo University post graduate student who is charged with supplying computer related material to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a group proscribed in Canada as a terrorist group has been ordered to be extradited to the United States to stand trial with few others who are charged with similar offenses.

But Canada's Mississauga News said he will remain in custody until his appeal against the extradition order is heard before a Federal Court judge. The newspaper was quoting Justice Canada. The court has not yet set a date to hear his appeal.

Mylvaganam, a computer engineering student at University of Waterloo who came to Canada from Sri Lanka in 1992, was arrested on Aug. 22, 2006 at his Derry Rd. apartment by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He was picked up on a provisional warrant at the request of American authorities.

One month later, Mylvaganam was granted bail and returned to university, where he continued to pursue a master's degree until being returned into custody last week, the newspaper said.

"Mylvaganam served as a vice-president of the university's Tamil Students Association in 2004.

"He and four other Ontario men have been charged with one count each of conspiring to provide material support and resources to the Tamil Tigers, a political and military organization that has been waging war with the government of Sri Lanka since the 1970s.

"In April 2006, the Tigers were added to Canada's official list of terrorist organizations.

"Twelve men have been charged in the joint FBI-RCMP investigation.

The sweep also included arrests in Buffalo, San Jose, Seattle and Connecticut.

"U.S. prosecutors say the arrests are in relation to a network of men in Canada and the U.S. that allegedly used members' post-secondary studies as a cover for terrorist activities.

"Officials say the group kept in contact with top Tamil Tiger operatives in Sri Lanka and the U.S. It tried to obtain compasses, computers and night-vision goggles for the Tigers, but also had bigger plans that included the purchase of aviation equipment, American prosecutors allege."