TIMELINE: Aaron Driver's history of radicalization
The 24-year-old man suspected of planning a bombing attack was killed during confrontation with police
A timeline documents the case of Aaron Driver, a man suspected of planning terrorist activities who died during a confrontation with RCMP. It's not yet clear whether he was killed by police gunfire or by shrapnel from an explosive device.
December 2014: RCMP receive a complaint from a member of the public about social media posts under the alias Harun Abdurahman and open an investigation.
Feb. 20, 2015: Driver gives an interview to the Toronto Star under that alias where he talks about his support for ISIS, adding that "the government already knows who I am … I know they're monitoring me."
March 6, 2015: Driver's father talks to CBC News about concerns CSIS has deemed his son a "radical extremist." He says his son converted to Islam in 2008 after a tumultuous childhood and is now "gone, he's lost, I can't help him."
April 2015: RCMP say Driver is in "fairly constant" contact with a youth in the U.K. who was later arrested for his role in an Islamic-inspired terror plot targeting Australia.
May 2015: RCMP say Driver is communicating with two well-known members of ISIS, but investigators can't establish the nature of the communication due to encryption. He is in contact with Elton Simpson hours before Simpson is killed May 4, 2015, in Texas after opening fire outside a controversial contest for cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad.
June 4, 2015: Manitoba RCMP swarm a Winnipeg home where Driver is staying, seizing computer equipment. RCMP say they find a recipe to make homemade bombs on his computer. Driver is taken into custody.
June 5, 2015: RCMP apply for a peace bond against Driver stating they have "reasonable grounds to fear" Driver will "participate in or contribute to, directly or indirectly, the activity of a terrorist group to facilitate or carry out a terrorist activity."
June 15, 2015: Driver is released on bail with 25 conditions, which include wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet and taking part in "religious counselling." The bail conditions draw the ire of civil liberties organizations who say they are "outrageous" for someone who isn't charged with a crime.
June 26, 2015: Driver is back in custody after his landlord withdraws as his surety and requests that he move to a Muslim home to so he can be better educated in that religion. "His comment against the police are worrisome and therefore have a discrepancy with my beliefs," the landlord says in court documents.
June 30, 2015: Driver's lawyer challenges his bail conditions, saying they violate his charter rights. Leonard Tailleur says Driver poses no threat to the public and "should be able to go here, there, everywhere." Driver is released on bail but is no longer required to undergo "religious counselling" or adhere to a curfew.
Feb. 2, 2016: Driver's lawyer and the Crown agree to a peace bond ensuring Driver will not go to trial. The bond acknowledges there are "reasonable grounds to fear that he may participate, contribute directly or indirectly in the activity of a terrorist group." Driver is not required to wear a GPS monitoring bracelet but is prohibited from using a computer or cellphone until the end of August. Driver takes up residence in Strathroy, Ont., where he reportedly has family.
Wednesday, 8:30 a.m.: RCMP receive a tip from the FBI, which found a martyrdom video made by someone "clearly in the final stages of planning an attack using homemade explosive devices." The attack was supposed to take place imminently, targeting an urban centre during rush hour. RCMP identify 24-year-old Driver as the suspect several hours later.
Wednesday, 4 p.m.: RCMP say Driver is seen getting into a cab outside his home in Strathroy. Police swarm the vehicle. They say Driver detonates a device in the back of the cab, causing minor injuries to the cab driver. Aaron Driver dies during the ensuing altercation with police.