Yellowknife (May 06/05) - The immigration hearing for Yellowknife businessman recently convicted of a decades-old terrorist bombing in Germany was postponed Wednesday.

Lothar Ebke - NNSL file photo

Lothar Ebke was granted an indefinite adjournment by the Immigration and Refugee Board - the latest legal wrinkle in his attempt to remain in Canada.

Decides if a risk

While the Old Town resident awaits a full admissibility hearing before the board, he also filed an application with the Minister of Public Security, Anne McLellan. The board decided to adjourn the admissibility hearing until the minister decides whether Ebke is a risk to national security.

Ebke pleaded guilty in the summer of 2004 to planning a 1987 bomb attack on a federal building in Berlin. He received three months probation and returned to Canada last December.

Immigration lawyers are seeking to deport Ebke based on the bombing conviction and allegations he lied about his criminal past when he first came to Canada in the 1990s.

Ebke was released on $150,000 in bonds while he awaits a full admissibility hearing. Ebke reported to the Yellowknife police detachment for the Wednesday hearing, not Calgary as previously reported. An immigration board member located in Alberta's largest city announced his decision via conference call.

After the hearing, Ebke politely declined to discuss his situation on the record, referring calls to his lawyer in Ontario.

According to media accounts, Ebke has lived a quiet life - aside from the battle over his extradition to Germany - since he moved to Canada. There is no evidence he still has ties to a terrorist organization.