Accusations that two more members of Osama bin Laden's terrorist network lived in Quebec have left former neighbours of the men shocked and scared.

On Friday, the U.S. Justice Department confirmed that it is looking for two Canadian citizens suspected of having ties with al-Qaeda. Both men were born in Tunisia but became Canadian residents and lived in Montreal.

Al Rauf bin Al Habib bin Yousef Al-Jiddi, 36, is accused of vowing to launch more suicide attacks on behalf of bin Laden's group. American authorities have identified him as one of five people making threatening statements on a videotape seized from al-Qaeda files in Afghanistan.

Officials think Al-Jiddi may be travelling with Faker Boussora, 37. "Both individuals should be considered extremely dangerous," U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said Friday.

In Montreal Saturday, neighbours contacted by CBC were reluctant to talk about the suspects. Many said they were surprised by the allegations and nervous about possible reprisals.

The men lived in different apartment buildings. Although Boussora moved out of one building two years ago, mail addressed to him still arrives there from the Middle East, according to the couple now occupying the suite. They've been sending the letters back.

Boussora and Al-Jiddi were both quiet loners, neighbours recalled. They had few visitors. Many people assumed they were foreign students.

Ashcroft said the suspects were identified with the help of Canadian authorities. The RCMP and Canadian intelligence agents refuse to talk about the hunt for the men, or the investigation into 10 other people from the Montreal area accused of being linked to al-Qaeda.

Critics have suggested Canada is a haven for terrorists, but the federal government has repeatedly argued there is no evidence of a direct connection between security in this country and the Sept. 11 attacks against the United States.

The allegation that more Montreal residents could have ties to bin Laden's network hasn't changed Ottawa's position.

On Saturday, Foreign Minister Bill Graham said it's not surprising a few suspects might be living in Canada given the international scope of terrorism. Accused terrorists have been picked up in many other countries, he pointed out, including France, Italy and the U.S.

"One or two people ... who happened to be in Canada, or are Canadians, doesn't make us a haven for terrorists any more than the fact that there was a United States citizen fighting in Afghanistan with al-Qaeda, and who is now on trial in the United States, has made the whole of the United States a haven for terrorism," Graham said.