Saskatchewan Federation of Police Officers 71 FOILED THREAT IN STRATHROY, ONTARIO SHOWS LIMITS OF CONTROLLING ASPIRING TERRORISTS LEYLAND CECCO, TU THANH HA AND MAHNOOR YAWAR STRATHROY, ONT. AND TORONTO — THE GLOBE AND MAIL PUBLISHED THURSDAY, AUG. 11, 2016 9:55AM EDT After receiving a morning tip from the United States about an imminent terror attack, Canadian authorities identified the suspect within hours and a tactical squad descended on a quiet residential street in Strathroy, Ont., intercepting the bombcarrying man as he was about to leave town in a taxi Wednesday afternoon. The suspect, 24-year-old Aaron Driver, died during the raid by the RCMP’s Emergency Response Team, either from an officer’s shot or by a device that he detonated from the back seat of the taxi outside his house. “It was a race against time,” RCMP Deputy Commissioner Mike Cabana told reporters on Thursday. While officials praised the force’s successful intervention, the episode also underlined the limits of the authorities’ ability to control wannabe terrorists with judicial tools such as peace bonds. Mr. Driver, a former Winnipeg resident long known for his sympathies toward the Islamic State, had been arrested in June of 2015. There was not enough evidence for criminal charges and he was released under a peace bond that required him to report regularly to an RCMP officer. But he was not under physical surveillance and an earlier bond condition that he wear an electronic tracking device had been rescinded in February. “He was being supervised. The RCMP took the necessary steps to take him to court before a judge and put conditions on him,” Deputy Commissioner Cabana said. But he added that “He’s one among several who have potential criminal intents. The ability to put them under surveillance 24 hours a day, seven days a week, does not exist.” Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale acknowledged the limits of the peace bond. “No tool in dealing with these circumstances will be perfect. But from the investigation, we will learn any lessons that need to be learned,” he said. Some officials have felt that peace bonds, while imposing some restrictions on the activities of suspects, give little insight into what would-be terrorists do behind closed doors. RCMP Assistant Commissioner Jennifer Strachan said there was no sign that Mr. Driver had an accomplice. The man in the martyrdom video had pledged allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr alBaghdadi. The Amaq news agency, which is close to IS, referred to Mr. Driver as a “soldier of the Islamic State,” according to the SITE continued... Some officials have felt that peace bonds, while imposing some restrictions on the activities of suspects, give little insight into what wouldbe terrorists do behind closed doors. “ ”
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