UPDATE: Two BC residents charged in al-Qaeda-inspired plot
By Nelson Daily Staff
RCMP announced Tuesday that two BC residents have been charged in an al-Qaeda-inspired slated to take place Canada Day.
The terrorist plot involved pressure cooker bombs similar to the ones used in the Boston Marathon bombings.
Amanda Marie Korody, 30, and John Stewart Nuttall, 39, both of Surrey, B.C., were arrested Monday in Abbotsford.
The two have been charged with conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, knowingly facilitating a terrorist activity and possession of an explosive substance in relation to building explosive devices which were placed outside the B.C. legislature in Victoria on Canada Day.
“I want to reassure our citizens that at all times during the investigation, our primary focus was the safety and protection of the public, said Assistant Commissioner James Malizia, responsible for Federal Policing Operations.
Assistant Commissioner Malizia said while the RCMP believes this threat was real, at no time was the security of the public at risk.
“These arrests are another example of the effectiveness of our Integrated National Security Enforcement Team who worked tenaciously to prevent this plan from being carried out,” he said.
RCMP said the contents of the explosives included nuts, bolts, nails, washers and other materials intented to kill or maim people.
Police said Korody and Nuttall, both Canadian-born citizens, were “inspired by al-Qaeda ideology” but added the incident has no international links.
At the press conference, police said the pair were self-radicalized and had discussed a wide variety of targets and techniques.
The RCMP investigation dubbed Project Souvenir, was coordinated by the RCMP-led Integrated National Security Enforcement Teams (INSET) in British Columbia and initiated with information from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. The RCMP would like to thank its INSET partners in British Columbia for their tremendous support throughout this investigation.
“It is very important that Canadians remain vigilant,” Assistant Commissioner Malizia explained.
“We encourage the active engagement of all our citizens in protecting Canada’s national security as it is a shared responsibility.”
The public is always urged to bring any suspicious activities to the RCMP’s attention through the National Security Information Network (1-800-420-5805) or by contacting the police in their community.
Mounties to announce terrorism charges today
Royal Canadian Mounted Police is holding a news conference Tuesday morning in Surrey to announce charges related to a terrorism investigation.
The investigation, dubbed project Souvenir, is a National Security investigation coordinated by the RCMP-led Integrated National Security Enforcement Teams (INSETs) in British Columbia — Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Canada Border Service Agency and other law enforcement and national security partners at the federal, provincial, municipal levels who investigate all national security criminal threats.
The presser is today at 11 a.m. PT when more details will be released.
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