OTTAWA - Convicted terrorist Momin Khawaja is a co-operative prisoner who had a decent upbringing, his lawyer told the judge who will decide the Ottawa man's sentence.
At a hearing Thursday, Lawrence Greenspon cited a submission from Khawaja's mother, Azra, describing him as a good son with an adventurous, independent streak.
As a teenager, he dyed half his hair blond and wore an earring and ripped jeans, but didn't abuse drugs or alcohol.
Greenspon also told the Ontario Superior Court hearing that Khawaja, arrested in 2004, has been well-behaved during his time behind bars, studying science and English literature.
The hearing will help Justice Douglas Rutherford determine an appropriate sentence for Khawaja, an Ottawa software developer convicted last year of several counts under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Khawaja, 29, was found guilty on charges of financing and facilitating terrorism for providing cash to a group of British extremists, offering them lodging and other assistance, and undergoing training at a remote camp in Pakistan.
He was also convicted of offences related to building a remote-control device to set off explosions, though there was insufficient proof Khawaja knew it would apparently be used to trigger attacks in London.
Khawaja pleaded not guilty to the charges and was tried without a jury.
During the trial, Greenspon characterized him as an angry young Muslim who wanted to join insurgents in Afghanistan, not blow up targets in Britain.
Five associates, including bomb-plot ringleader Omar Khyam, were sentenced to prison after being convicted in London.
Khawaja, who has already spent almost five years in custody, could face a life sentence.
Greenspon argued Thursday there's a clear distinction between acts such as the 1982 bombing of Litton Industries in Toronto by left-wing activists and Khawaja's plans for the battlefield, which were far from the "true terrorism" of detonating explosives in a city.
Rutherford, however, questioned the reasoning, asking, "Is there a different value on some lives as opposed to others?"
Khawaja was born in Ottawa and moved with his family to Libya, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia before returning to Canada.
He obtained a diploma in computer programming from an Ottawa college in 2001 and was working on a software project for the Foreign Affairs Department at the time of his arrest.
