A Canadian man previously banned from associating with ISIS extremists died as police thwarted what they believed was a suicide bomb plot, authorities said.
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Suspecting an imminent terror threat, police say a suspect was identified and the “proper course of action” was taken to ensure no danger to the public.
They wouldn’t say, however, if the suspect has been arrested, but did say there was no threat to the public.
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.
Broadcaster CTV also reported that the suspect was allegedly linked to IS and had been planning to set off an explosive device in a packed public space in a major city, citing internal government documents.
Mr. Driver, who was in his mid-20s and originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, was under a court order from earlier this year to not associate with any terrorist organization, including Islamic State.
Driver was ordered to wear a Global Positioning System tracking device and banned from going online or communicating with ISIL. The government later said some of his bail conditions had been lifted and that he would not go on trial, the AP reported.
A police vehicle is parked during a raid on a home (not pictured) after they received “credible information of a potential terrorist threat” at a small community some 225 km (140 miles) southwest of Toronto in Strathroy, Ontario, Canada August 10, 2016.
Two days later, a 32-year-old killed a ceremonial guard then tried to storm Canada’s parliament before being shot dead by security guards only metres from a room where the prime minister and his caucus were meeting.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ended air strikes against the group in February but it continues to train Iraqi forces on the ground.
Following these attacks, the Conservative government had passed a terrorism law giving greater powers to intelligence services and the RCMP, particularly to prevent the departure of young Canadians in Syria to join the fighters of the Islamic State group.
“These agencies conducted themselves effectively in the circumstances that developed today”, Goodale said in statement.
Canada was the target of two separate lone wolf attacks in October 2014 in Quebec and Ottawa that resulted in the death of two soldiers.
Goodale said the terrorism threat level for Canada remains at “medium” where it has been since 2014, The Canadian Press added.
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He said in February he did not think Canadians should fear him and that people should not be persecuted for their political beliefs, according to CBC news.
