MONTREAL — A Moroccan native facing deportation is a "dormant agent" of al Qaeda who could plan terrorist attacks at any time, says Canada's spy agency.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service allegations are contained in declassified documents that are part of the government's case against Adil Charkaoui.

Charkaoui, 29, was arrested last week and detained on a rarely used security certificate. He faces deportation to Morocco for his alleged links to several members of a Montreal al Qaeda cell that operated in the city in the 1990s.

In documents released Tuesday, the government says Charkaoui "is a member or was a member" of al Qaeda, adding he's "a danger to the security of Canada" and could "engage in (acts of) terrorism."

"The Service has reasonable grounds to believe that Charkaoui fits the profile of a 'dormant agent' who could be activated at any time," CSIS said in the 24-page brief.

The federal government also says Charkaoui knew Ahmed Ressam, who was convicted of planning to bomb U.S. targets during millennium celebrations.

The documents don't link Charkaoui to any specific terrorist plots or attacks, but he's accused of knowing a number of convicted or alleged terrorists.

Canadian law allows the Federal Court to withhold evidence from Charkaoui and the public to protect what the government deems to be "national security."

CSIS says Charkaoui was an associate of Abdellah Ouzghar, who French authorities say was also a member of the Montreal al Qaeda cell.

Charkaoui, a permanent Canadian resident, was nabbed last week and detained on a security certificate, part of a rarely used section of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

He has previously denied any involvement with terrorist groups. His lawyer couldn't be reached on Tuesday and federal government lawyers were not available for comment.

The accusations against Charkaoui sparked outrage from several human-rights groups on Tuesday, including the Quebec-based League of Rights and Freedoms.

"With a security certificate, a person can be arrested and detained without being accused of a crime," the group said in a news release.

"His lawyer has no knowledge of the specific allegations and doesn't have access to the entire body of evidence.
"(This) goes against the fundamental rules of justice."

The group also said Amnesty International and the American Bar Association have denounced the Canadian government's case against Charkaoui.

A Federal Court justice is scheduled to begin hearing arguments on Friday to determine the validity of the security certificate, which is the first step in the deportation process.

The government documents contain several other elements allegedly linking Charkaoui with al Qaeda.

CSIS says Charkaoui visited Pakistan in 1998 at the same time Ressam was training in an al Qaeda camp in nearby Afghanistan.

Also training at the camp with Ressam was Zacharias Moussaoui, who is accused by U.S. authorities of planning to participate in the Sept. 11, 2001, jetliner attacks on New York and Washington, D.C.

The documents don't say whether Charkaoui went to the al Qaeda camps.

The Canadian government also says Charkaoui took karate training similar to the training undertaken by Ziad Jarrah, one of the Sept. 11 hijackers. The government brief doesn't say whether Charkaoui trained any terrorists.

Charkaoui has said he taught a self-defence course at a Montreal mosque and that he was questioned by FBI agents who wanted to know the names of his students.