How a Toronto terror attack was thwarted

Plus, the Olympic drone spying scandal and Toronto's record rainfall [The Star] First Up [By Kevin Jiang] By Kevin Jiang Good morning. Here’s the latest on a narrowly thwarted terror attack, Canada’s Olympic drone spying scandal and Toronto’s record rainfalls. DON’T MISS R.J. Johnston/The Star crime [A father and son were arrested for planning a terror attack in Toronto]( The two men are facing terrorism charges and accusations of working with the Islamic State after authorities say they thwarted an imminent and violent attack just hours before it was to be carried out. “We believe the threat has been neutralized,” RCMP Supt. James Parr told a news conference yesterday; he couldn’t say whether the plot was homegrown or ordered from abroad. [Peter Edwards and Jermaine Wilson break down the details of the narrowly averted attack](. - The arrest: Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi, 62, and his son Mostafa Eldidi, 26, were arrested without incident by the RCMP tactical unit at a Richmond Hill hotel on Monday. - The charges: Both men have been charged with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose in connection to the Islamic State. The 62-year-old was also charged with committing aggravated assault outside of Canada in 2015 in connection with the terror group. - The reaction: Police raided the men’s Scarborough home the day before their arrest. “I don’t feel safe at all to know that somebody in my backyard was (arrested for terrorism),” a neighbour told The Star.  Canadian Press/Gary Day olympics [The inside story of Canada’s drone spying scandal at the Paris Olympics]( Canadian women’s soccer head coach Bev Priestman discussed spying on their opponents in an email chain with staffers and alleged it was standard practice on the men’s team, FIFA’s investigation into the incident revealed. “It can be the difference between winning and losing and all top 10 teams do it,” she wrote. [Mark Colley takes an inside look at the scandal that tarnished Canada’s Olympic champions](. - Down the rabbit hole: The practice of spying didn’t start with Priestman, who referenced an official on the men’s team with knowledge of the operation. Canada Soccer suspects the practice “stems back” to that unnamed official — reportedly John Herdman. - On the pitch: Though missing their head coach and slapped with harsh six-point penalty for spying, the Canadian women’s soccer team continues to dominate, [crushing Colombia yesterday and advancing to the tournament’s knockout stage](. - Bruce Arthur’s take: The team’s exceptional run is not built on spying — these last two games confirmed that. [It’s built on skill, huge hearts and that bone-deep refusal to fall apart under pressure](. Andrew Francis Wallace/The Star rain city [Toronto might have broken a rainfall record in July]( A light shower that dampened Toronto on Tuesday afternoon may have been enough to shatter the city’s 70-year-old rainfall record — maybe. July could be the city’s wettest month since October 1954, when flooding from Hurricane Hazel devastated the region and changed the city forever, Kate Allen reports. But three days’ worth of missing data in July 2013 — another historically soggy stretch — is muddying the waters. [Take a look back at the city’s record rainfalls](. - So what? If you’re a garden tomato, this debate is irrelevant. July was really, really wet, but almost half its total rainfall fell in a single day — [turning streets into canals and leaving thousands without power](. - Now what? Toronto isn’t designed to weather downpours of the calibre we saw this month, but climate change is making them more common. It’s sparked a flurry of debate on [how the city could be reshaped to prevent future floods]( WHAT ELSE Israel’s assassination of a Hamas chief in Iran will only complicate hopes for peace in Gaza. [Is a nightmare scenario about to unfold?]( “We’re not out of the woods yet.” [The Jasper wildfire is still burning out of control — and more hot, dry weather is on the horizon](. Canada’s refugee system is overwhelmed by skyrocketing claims. [What can Ottawa do to reduce the backlog?]( Ontario’s health minister has an issue with Pierre Poilievre’s take on addiction. [Tensions are rising between the Tories](. Remains were found in the area police were [searching for an abducted Markham woman](. Canada’s economy grew [more quickly than expected in the second quarter](. The Refugee Olympic Team gave boxer Cindy Ngamba a fighting chance. [Her story is quickly turning into legend](. Felix Auger-Aliassime flashed some of his star power to [reach the tennis quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics](. [Hundreds join downtown ghost bike ride Wednesday]( to remember 24-year-old cyclist killed in Yorkville. [Kamala Harris will make this the abortion election]( whether Donald Trump wants her to or not. “It’s like we’re the band playing on the Titanic.” [How an American indie group created a soundtrack for societal collapse](. Are you in perimenopause? [Here’s how it could be affecting your skin and what you can do about it](. POV Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick [It is time for Canadians to confront Pierre Poilievre’s assault on decency.]( CLOSE-UP Federico Parra/AFP Photo CARACAS: Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro gestures during a press conference, days after winning a highly contested — and internationally condemned — election. [Here’s what Maduro might do next](. Before I go, Alice Munro’s name was spelled incorrectly in yesterday’s edition of First Up. Apologies for any confusion.  Thank you for reading. You can reach me and the First Up team at [firstup@thestar.ca](mailto:firstup@thestar.ca?source=newsletter&utm_source=ts_nl&utm_medium=emailutm_email=6C53B63A8E3FAD70AD4EF13004527437&utm_campaign=frst_217603). I’ll see you back here tomorrow. If you're not enjoying these emails, please tell us how we can make them better by emailing newsletterfeedback@thestar.ca. Or, if you'd prefer, you can unsubscribe from this newsletter by clicking the first link below. [Unsubscribe From This Newsletter]( [Sign Up for More Newsletters and Email Alerts]( [View in Browser]( Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. 416-367-2000 [PRIVACY POLICY](