US warned Canada of terrorist attack in major city

TRENTON, Ont.

U.S. authorities tipped off Canadian officials to a likely bombing attack in a major city, allowing the Royal Canadian Police to locate and kill the alleged terrorist, Canadian media reported Thursday.

Toronto transit officials said Thursday they were warned of a possible attack before the Royal Canadian Mounted Police [RCMP] killed known Daesh sympathizer Aaron Driver on Wednesday, in a residence in Strathroy, Ontario, a small community about 225 kilometers (140 miles) west of Toronto, CTV News reported.

Neighbors heard gunshots as well as a loud explosion at the home. SWAT teams, the RCMP, a bomb squad and military special operations forces participated in the takedown, according to CTV News.

Driver, who had been under a peace bond -- an agreement to keep the peace and be in good behavior -- because of his known sympathy for Daesh, was killed because he detonated a device that injured himself and one other person, and was prepared to detonate another device, RCMP told his family, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported. It is unclear who was the other person injured.

Federal Opposition leader Rona Ambrose said in a statement that Canada is not “immune” to terrorism.

“The reported terror plot that was thwarted yesterday [Wednesday] demonstrates that Canadians must not only remain vigilant about the threat of terrorism at home and abroad, but also be a strong contributor to military efforts to fight it worldwide,” Ambrose said.

Police believe Driver was acting alone, CTV reported.

Driver, 24, caught the attention of Canadian intelligence officers after he cheered on Twitter the 2014 attack on Parliament Hill in the Canadian capital of Ottawa.

He was arrested in June 2015 for posting Daesh propaganda online but was not charged. He was released with conditions, one of which was to wear a GPS tracker.

Driver was allowed to remove the GPS device but remained under the peace bond, which was set to expire Aug. 31, CTV reported.