Awso Peshdary

OTTAWA -- A fourth person has been arrested in Ottawa as part of the investigation into the alleged Ottawa terrorism cell Friday -- the same day accused Khurram Sher appeared in court.

The RCMP issued a press release Friday afternoon stating the person had been arrested but not charged earlier in the day.

If charged today, the person could appear in court Saturday.

Meanwhile, the third suspect in the terrorism probe, Khurram Syed Sher, 28, of London, Ont., was remanded to appear by video from the Innes Rd. detention centre along with two Ottawa men, Hiva Mohammad Alizadeh, 30, and Misbahuddin Ahmed, 26.

Sher, who has short hair and a beard, wore a dress shirt and pants, his hand thrust into the pockets.

He spoke briefly with his lawyer, Anser Farooq, during the proceedings.

His alleged co-conspirators were in court for a brief hearing on Thursday and were also ordered held in custody.

Sher was arrested in London on Thursday. He had recently taken a job as a pathologist at a hospital in nearby St. Thomas, Ont.

Alizadeh faces a long list of charges and is pegged as the suspected ringleader of the cell. Both he and Ahmed were arrested in Ottawa on Wednesday.

They are accused of conspiring during the past two years to facilitate terrorist activity with three named people and unknown others in Canada, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Dubai.

The charges, according to court documents:

- Hiva Mohammad Alizadeh, 30, of Woodridge Cres., Misbahuddin Ahmed, 26, of Esterlawn Private and Khurram Syed Sher, 28, of London, Ont., are accused of conspiring since Feb. 2008 with James Lara, Rizgar Alizadeh and Zakaria Mamosta and others in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and four other countries to knowingly facilitate terrorist activity, carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison;

- Alizadeh is also charged with making or possessing an explosive substance with the intent to endanger life or cause serious damage to property, or to enable another person to do so, from Sept. 2009 to the day before his arrest, punishable by a maximum penalty of life;

- Alizadeh is also accused of collecting property, directly or indirectly, or inviting others to provide property or financial services used to benefit a terrorist group, also over the past year. It carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.