(CNN) -- A man who was arrested on terror charges at a Toronto airport Tuesday was on his way to Somalia to join a militant group there, according to Canadian police.
Mohamed Hassan Hersi was arrested at Pearson International Airport as he boarded a plane to Cairo, Egypt, said Inspector Keith Finn of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police at a press conference Wednesday.
Police allege that his final destination was Somalia, where he planned to join al Shabaab, a group identified by both the United States and Canada as a terrorist organization.
Hersi, a Canadian citizen who quit his job in preparation for the trip, was traveling alone and did not resist arrest, Finn said.
He was charged under Canada's anti-terrorism law for attempting to participate in terrorist activity and for providing counsel to a person to participate in a terrorist activity, said Finn, who heads the RCMP's Ontario Integrated National Security Enforcement Team.
"Al Shabaab is a listed terrorist entity because of their attacks against innocents in support of their extremist, radical ideology," Finn said. "Any participation with that group would constitute an offense."
The arrest was the culmination of a six-month investigation of Hersi known by police as "Project Severe."
Police were tipped off to Hersi's alleged involvement with terrorist organizations in September, said Toronto Police Superintendent Tom Fitzgerald.
Police have seized evidence from Hersi but would not elaborate on what items were taken.
"There was nothing within the investigation that would suggest a direct threat to Canadians within Canada," Finn said.
"However, the issue of radicalization and of people from Canada traveling overseas and receiving that type of further indoctrination and training remains a concern."
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