Photo of Aaron Driver from Facebook. Photo of Aaron Driver from Facebook.
London

RCMP: FBI Tip Led Them To Aaron Driver

It was a tip from the Federal Bureau of Investigations in the United States that led the RCMP to thwart a planned terror attack by Aaron Driver.

At a news conference in Ottawa Thursday, RCMP Deputy Commissioner Mike Cabana told reporters the Mounties were alerted by the FBI to a threat of an attack that was to be carried out within 72 hours. Cabana says the information from the FBI included a so-called "martyrdom video" that Driver prepared, in which he railed against Canada, praised ISIS, and referenced terror attacks in France and Belguim. The warning also included information that Driver was determined to attack an urban centre during rush hour within 72 hours, but the tip did not contain information about a specific city, so it was "race against time" to stop the attack.

Cabana says the tip from the FBI was received around 8:30am Wednesday. By 11am, he says, the RCMP was quite certain the person in the video was Driver. He says they then reached out to other police agencies, including Strathroy police and London police, and moved in on the home on Park St. in Strathroy.

Driver left the home to get into a waiting taxi. He then set off an explosive device inside the cab and was shot by police. It's not known yet whether his fatal injuries were the result of the shrapnel from the explosive device or police gunfire.

“If he had gotten out of that residence before we got there, the scenario would have ended a lot differently,” according to Strachan.

It's unclear where Driver intended to go in the cab. Both Cabana and Strachan told reporters they don't know, but the owner of the cab company told CTV London's Sean Irvine that the cab was destined for CitiPlaza in London.

The RCMP also noted the investigation led them to what they called a "secondary location" at 43 Blanchard Cr. in London.

Driver had been under court-ordered restrictions that prohibited him from associating with any terrorist organizations. But Cabana told reporters he was not under surveillance by the RCMP.

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