Canadian police shot dead an alleged Daesh sympathizer armed with an explosive device on Wednesday, media reports said, as police confirmed they thwarted a “potential terror threat.”
There was no immediate confirmation from Canadian 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 information about a potential attack.
“Earlier today, the RCMP received credible information of a potential terrorist threat. A suspect was identified and the proper course of action has been taken to ensure that there is no danger to the public’s safety,” the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said in a statement.
They did not say where the incident took place.
Media reports said the suspect was a 24-year-old man who had been arrested in 2015 for expressing support for the Daesh group in postings on social media. He had been released in February but was being monitored.
Canadian broadcaster CBC identified him as Aaron Driver, saying he was shot dead during a police raid in Strathroy, a residential area in southern Ontario about 220 kilometers (140 miles) southwest of Toronto.
According to a relative who spoke to CBC, police informed the family that he was shot dead after detonating an explosive device, injuring himself and one other person, whose condition was unclear.
They told the family they had to shoot him because he had a second device which he was planning to detonate, CBC said.
Broadcaster CTV, citing internal government documents, also said the suspect was allegedly linked to Daesh and had been planning to set off an explosive device in a packed public space in a major city.
CBC said the suspect had first come to the attention of anti-terror officials in October 2014 after he tweeted support for Daesh.

Source: Arab News