Secret army unit gets robbed

Secret army unit gets robbed

Canada's commandos may have tested their mettle against al-Qaeda in
Afghanistan, but they appear to be no match for homegrown car thieves.

A Joint Task Force 2 pickup truck containing counter-terrorism gear
was stolen last May after personnel from the unit made a quick stop at
a store, the military has confirmed.

Although police recovered the Ford S350 pickup two days later, the
thieves had made off with two empty gun magazines, a barrel for a
pistol, clothing and a computer laptop. Other equipment, which the
military refuses to discuss for security reasons, was recovered in the
vehicle.

Canadian Forces officials also declined to name the location from
where the truck was stolen as that would reveal details about the
unit's activities. They would only confirm that the theft took place
somewhere in Canada.

Navy Lieut. Kent Penney said investigators were able to determine that
the stolen laptop did not contain information that would compromise
national security. But the thieves might have realized the gear inside
the truck was the property of the commando team.

"The items in the vehicle could be attributed to the unit," said
Lieut. Penney, a spokesman for the military's Counter-terrorism and
Special Operations branch. "Certain clothing items would have been
attributed to the unit itself."

Asked whether the thieves would be able to determine the identities of
members of the unit, he replied: "We don't know that."

JTF2 is considered one of the most secret organizations in the
Canadian Forces. The military acknowledges that the special operations
unit exists and is based in Ottawa, but releases few other details.
JTF2 has gone on missions in Afghanistan, Nepal, and the former
Yugoslavia, among other countries.

In Canada, it has conducted training missions in many large Canadian
cities and has been on hand at major international events such as the
G8 summit meeting in Alberta in 2002.

Lieut. Penney said in the unit's 10-year history this is the first
time one of its vehicles has been stolen. The JTF2 members who were
operating the truck faced administrative action and were required to
partly pay for the missing gear. The JTF2 members, who are from the
unit's support branch, had locked the truck before going into the
store.

No arrests have been made in the case. But Lieut. Penney said as a
result of the incident the unit reviewed its security policies, in
particular those relating to vehicles, and has made some changes. At
the time of the theft no ammunition, explosives or complete weapons
were in the truck, he added.

According to police, young people, mostly looking to go joy riding,
are behind four out of 10 vehicle thefts.

It's not the first time, however, that criminals have made off with
counter-terrorism gear. In 1987, thieves stole pistols,
submachine-guns, hand grenades, uniforms and an identity card from
three marked RCMP trucks

in the north end of Montreal. Also taken was a counter-terrorism
manual. The RCMP tactical officers were in Montreal on a training
mission at the time.

The theft wasn't the only vehicle incident involving JTF2 members last
year. In June, a JTF2 pickup truck was driving down a steep hill when
the driver swerved to avoid a small animal. The truck rolled into a
ditch and JTF2 personnel inside the vehicle suffered minor injuries.
The military did not identify where the accident took place because of
security reasons.