Police: Canadian terror suspect killed during final stage of attack planning

Authorities in Canada say a 24-year-old man killed during a raid at his house on Wednesday was finalizing plans to detonate a homemade bomb in a public place.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Thursday that Aaron Driver, a known Islamic State supporter, died in the back seat of a taxi after he detonated an explosive device as police closed in on him. Police had said on Wednesday he was fatally shot by officers, but on Thursday they could not say if he died because of the explosive device or because he was shot, Reuters reports. The RCMP decided to raid Driver's home in Strathroy, Ontario, after they received "credible information," including a "martyrdom video" from the FBI. "The outcome if we had not been able to apprehend him, based on his actions when he was confronted, could have been significantly more dreadful," Deputy Commissioner Mike Cabana said. "It was a race against time."

Driver converted to Islam in his teens, and was arrested last year after posting pro-ISIS messages on social media, using the alias Harun Abdurahman. He wasn't charged with a crime, but was placed on a peace bond and told to stay away from computers and not contact any members of ISIS or other militant groups. The video sent to the RCMP showed a man wearing a black balaclava, repeating a phrase from the Koran, pledging allegiance to ISIS, and warning that an attack would take place in a Canadian city within the next 72 hours.

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