Toronto terror arrests and the enduring appeal of ISIS

The arrest of a father and son accused of planning a mass casualty attack in Toronto on behalf of ISIS suggests the enduring appeal of the terrorist group.

Five years after it was defeated in Syria, where it committed scores of atrocities, the so-called Islamic State continues to inspire violence far from the Middle East.

The alleged plot disrupted by this week’s arrests involved an axe and machete, which were seized by police, according to court records obtained by Global News.

Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi, 62, and Mostafa Eldidi, 26, were charged with six terrorism offences, the records show. They are accused of planning an attack for the benefit of ISIS.

The father is also accused of a June 2015 aggravated assault outside Canada for ISIS. No further details were provided.

They appeared in court in Newmarket, Ont. on Monday, and were scheduled to return on Aug. 24. Both are Canadian citizens, police said.

At a news conference Wednesday, RCMP Assistant Commissioner Matt Peggs said the suspects were in the “advanced stages” of planning an attack when they were arrested at a hotel in Richmond Hill, Ont. on Sunday.

He said there was no remaining risk to the public.

“We’re still trying to establish exactly who were the intended targets of this attack,” said Supt. James Parr, the officer in charge of the Toronto Integrated National Security Enforcement Team.

The “fast-moving” investigation began in early July, he said. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service played a role in the probe, as well as local police agencies.

ISIS has ramped up its propaganda in recent months, translating it into more languages and disseminating it onto more channels, said Colin P. Clarke, director of research at the Soufan Group.

The terror group’s branch