Canada arrests suspected Pakistani war criminal

MONTREAL – Canada said Saturday it had arrested a suspected Pakistani war criminal, the second such arrest made since the government listed 30 foreigners actively sought on Canadian soil.

Arshad Muhammad, 42, was arrested thanks to public tips, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said in a statement.

The Toronto Sun said that Muhammad, who also goes by Certosa Aranci, was arrested after he was recognized in a store in Mississauga, just west of Toronto.

On Friday, authorities said they had arrested former Honduran soldier Cristobal Gonzalez-Ramirez, who had served in a special army unit in Honduras where he allegedly committed war crimes as a soldier.

Ottawa indicated that Muhammad was also “suspected of complicity in a war crime or a crime against humanity,” without providing further details.

“The help that Canadians are providing to Canada Border Services is proving to be beyond what we had expected,” said Toews. “Those who have been involved in war crimes or crimes against humanity will find no haven on our shores; they will be located, and they will face the consequences.”

Muhammad’s arrest came after the government published a list of 30 men accused of crimes against humanity this week – including their photos and birth dates – suspected of hiding on Canadian soil.

Canada adopted a federal law of universal jurisdiction in 2000 for crimes against humanity. Under the law, a Rwandan was sent to prison for life in 2009 for participating in the 1994 genocide there.