Premier Christy Clark:

“Let me say this about those who would resort to terror. They want us to be governed by fear. They want us to look on each other with suspicion. They want us to be seized with anger. They want this because they hate the things that make us Canadian. They hate the things that make B.C. and Canada unique in the world. But instead of letting fear grip us – we will go to work today, here in this legislature. We will enjoy our families and our communities, wherever we live.”

Bombing plot thwarted at Legislature

John Stuart Nuttall, 39 and Amanda Marie Korody, 30 are charged with knowingly  facilitating a terrorist activity, possession of an explosive substance and  conspiring to commit and indictable offence. They were arrested in Abbottsford yesterday at 2pm. The both lived in Surrey

“Project  Souvenir” – RCMP say they were in total control of the bombs but would not confirm that three pressure cooker bombs were made by a collaborator. The bomb were inert and could not be exploded.  Police says the two Canadians were self radicalized and inspired by terrorist activities. The joint operation has been going on for five months.

The package bombs were found outside the buildings.

RCMP says there are no international connects or religious connections.

Statement

On July 1st, the RCMP arrested and charged John Stuart Nuttall and Amanda Marie Korody for terrorism-related activities, including taking steps to build and subsequently place explosive devices at a pre-determined public location in the City of Victoria for the purpose of causing death or serious bodily injuries on Canada Day.

These charges are the result of an RCMP investigation named project SOUVENIR, which was launched in February 2013 based on information received from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.

These individuals were inspired by Al Qaeda ideology. Our investigation demonstrated that this was a domestic threat, without international linkages.

I want to reassure our citizens that at all times during the investigation, our primary focus was the safety and protection of the public. While the RCMP believes this threat was real, at no time was the security of the public at risk.

These arrests are another example of the effectiveness of our Integrated National Security Enforcement Team who worked tenaciously to prevent this plan from being carried out. We detected the threat early and disrupted it. On behalf of the RCMP, I want to express our appreciation to CSIS and all our partners for their tremendous support throughout this investigation. I also want to express my gratitude to everyone who worked tirelessly on this case for their commitment, expertise and dedication.

It is very important that Canadians remain vigilant. We encourage the active engagement of all of our citizens in protecting Canada’s national security as this is a shared responsibility. We urge the public to bring any suspicious activities to the RCMP’s attention through our National Security Information Network (1-800-420-5805) or by contacting the police in their communities.