That is according to police, who say they had received credible information – including a so-called “martyrdom video” – from USA authorities, indicating that Aaron Driver was planning to strike.
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A Canadian who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in a video was shot dead in a taxi after setting off an explosive device, police said. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about details ahead of a Thursday news conference, identified the suspect as Aaron Driver.
When police approached, driver detonated an explosive device in the back seat of the cab, causing minor injuries to the driver, before he was shot dead by officers, authorities said.
Irene Lee, whose parents own a convenience store near Driver’s home, said police arrived on the quiet residential street shortly after 4 pm ET (2000 GMT) and quickly surrounded the house.
After being tipped off by the FBI, Canadian police furiously worked to find out who the person in the video was.
They couldn’t confirm where he planned to target specifically, only that it was likely an urban centre during rush hour.
– RCMP deputy commissioner Mike Cabana at a news conference.
The individual in the video wore a black balaclava, and railed against western “enemies of Islam” while mentioning terrorist attacks in Europe and the United States.
In June 2015, Driver was first picked up in Winnipeg.
He was under a court order from earlier this year to not associate with any terrorist organization, including the Islamic State group.
Driver was killed in a violent confrontation with police on Wednesday near his home in Strathroy, Ontario.
“It doesn’t say anything about the abilities of the Canadian security agencies”.
He said Canada’s National Terrorism Threat Level remained at “medium”, the level it has been at since the fall of 2014. He gave a media interview where he expressed support for prior terror attacks in Canada and expressed interest in travelling to join the Islamic State. “After the … events on Parliament Hill of a couple years ago, we did issue a public address announcement that played in the system reminding people that if they do see something, to say something”.
In March previous year, Canada said it had foiled a plot by a self-proclaimed Islamic State supporter to bomb the USA consulate and other buildings in Toronto’s financial district. He had been arrested and released under court supervision after police received complaints of extremist posts on social media.
“The reported terror plot that was thwarted yesterday demonstrates that Canadians must not only remain vigilant about the threat of terrorism at home and overseas, but also be a strong contributor to military efforts to fight it worldwide”.
The conditions of Driver’s peace bond changed last February and an electronic bracelet he had been wearing was removed, the RCMP’s Cabana said.
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There was no immediate confirmation from Canada’s federal police that anyone had been shot, with a statement saying only that a suspect had been identified and that they had taken “action” after receiving “credible information” about a potential attack.
