Failed Canadian actor sent letter bombs for revenge

When Adel Mohamed Arnaout filled out a Toronto model and talent agency questionnaire, he wrote down just one previous role: "hippy," and listed archery and skydiving among his abilities. Today, the 39-year-old man is on trial and being cast as a wannabe thespian who turned his failed aspirations into a campaign of revenge that spanned several years and jurisdictions. The prosecution says he sent letter bombs and water spiked with industrial solvent to alleged targets, including a former roommate, two talent agencies, his one-time lawyer and a Toronto judge.

On Wednesday, Crown attorney James Dunda provided Superior Court Justice Todd Ducharme, who is hearing the case alone, with an overview of the case after Arnaout pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of attempted murder and five offences relating to explosive substances and devices. Arnaout first came to the attention of the public in the summer of 2007 after police arrested him for sending three letter bombs to recipients in Toronto and Guelph. Police shut down the Don Valley Parkway to transport explosive material found in the trunk of his car to the Leslie St. Spit where it was detonated, Dunda told court.