By Thomas Walkom

TORONTO, ONTARIO — Once labelled Canada’s first homegrown, Islamist terror plot, the case of the so-called Toronto 18 is quietly melting away.

With yesterday’s decision to stay charges against four more of those that it had once labelled dangerous terrorists, the federal government is now admitting that it never had a serious case against almost half of the men and youths charged two years ago.

So far, the Crown has stayed charges against seven of the 18 Toronto-area Muslim males. While technically, that means it could re-lay charges within a year, legal experts call such a move unlikely.

This does not necessarily mean the Crown’s case is entirely bogus. The government argues that some of the remaining 11 were involved in a scheme to obtain explosive material, while others participated in a terror training camp.

Because of a judicial publication ban, whatever evidence – if any – that the government has produced in court to bolster these allegations cannot be reported.

But what is becoming clear from material that can be revealed is that the alleged plot was never quite as advertised.

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