Transit, transportation agencies warned of terror threat before suspect killed

Transit and transportation agencies in Toronto were warned of a security threat before RCMP confronted a terrorism suspect in a southern Ontario town west of Canada’s largest city.

Aaron Driver, who was originally from Winnipeg and had been under a court order not to associate with any terrorist organization, died Wednesday during a police operation in Strathroy, west of London, Ont. Details on just what happened have yet to be released.

The RCMP said it had received credible information of a potential terror threat, identified a suspect and taken action to ensure there was no danger to the public.

On Thursday morning, a spokesman for the Toronto Transit Commission said the agency was made aware of a terror threat investigation early the previous day, but noted that it had no specifics attached.

Brad Ross said that as a precaution a “vigilance notice” was issued to all staff encouraging them to say something if they saw something of concern. He said such notices are commonly issued after security incidents around the world or if the TTC is advised of threats closer to home.

“Every circumstance is different,” he said when asked how serious threats must be to prompt warnings to commuters as well as staff.

“The response would be based on what those circumstances were. There’s not a cookie cutter to how we do those things. After the … events on Parliament Hill of a couple years ago, we did issue a public address announcement that played in the system reminding people that if they do see something, to say something.”

He added the information the TTC was given Wednesday was “very general about a credible threat that was being investigated by police but it had no location, it didn’t even say a city as far as I know.”

Spokeswomen for Metrolinx, the Ontario government agency which runs the Greater Toronto Area’s regional transit lines, and the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) say they was also advised of a security threat.

Anne Marie Aikins says Metrolinx raised its level of vigilance and worked closely with national, provincial and local forces in response.

And Siobhan Desroches said the GTAA worked with its partners “to enhance our security posture at [Toronto Pearson International] airport.”

“For security reasons we aren’t able to explain the measures we take in these situations,” she said.

Meanwhile, Via Rail released a statement saying it had “no information regarding the specific incident.”

“VIA Rail is in constant communication with law enforcement and regulatory bodies. We do not publicly comment on discussions that may or may not have been held,” it said.

The RCMP is holding a news conference in Ottawa at 1:00 p.m. ET to provide details on the case. Watch it live here.

In tiny Strathroy, a neighbour of Driver’s said he couldn’t recall ever seeing the man around town.

But he said Wednesday’s incident — and the discovery that a terror suspect lived only a stone’s throw away — hit “a little too close to home.”

“For me, having two kids and my wife and a possible terrorist … sympathizer down the street, it’s kind of … it’s a little crazy.”

Last year, federal authorities were so suspicious Driver might have ties to a terrorist group that he bounced in and out of jails and courtrooms for months, all without any actual charges ever being laid — and he had no criminal record at the time.

In June 2015, Driver was first picked up in Winnipeg. Published reports at the time suggested Driver posted messages on social media that praised terrorist activities, including the attack on Parliament Hill in October 2014 by Michael Zehaf-Bibeau.

Amarnath Amarasingam, a post-doctoral fellow at Dalhousie University who studies radicalization and terrorism, maintained in 2015 that Driver posted for several months on social media about disliking Canada and about a desire to move overseas.

Mounties applied for a peace bond that could impose limits on Driver’s activities, alleging in provincial court documents that investigators believed he might help with terrorist group activities.

When Driver, who was in his mid-20s, was released later that month, he was ordered to comply with 18 different conditions, including wearing a GPS tracking device.

With files from News Staff